• If you follow me on twitter, you probably heard my ridiculous whining about our heat this week. It was over 100 three days in a row, and just really ridiculous.
• It’s only going to be 90 today, and to celebrate, I’m wearing long pants.
• We had kind of similar heat, I think, last summer right after I had my “Uterus Surgery.” The boy and I had been dating two months and knowing me, had probably only kissed twice. What? I was MAKING SURE I LIKED HIM. Anyway, do you know what he did? He got us an air conditioned hotel room, that’s what. And, then the next night we got another air conditioned room at the coast. Only it took us 4 hours to get here because EVERYONE was going to the coast.
• Anyway, this year he did not get me a hotel room, he did something way better. While I was away at that thing in Chicago, he bought me a little window a/c unit.
• I have spent the entire last week whispering sweet nothings to this a/c unit. While it doesn’t cool the whole house down, it does cool the living room and keeps the rest of the house without getting ridiculously hot.
• Also, I’m sure it prevented me from coming home to a cooked, obese feline.
• Tonight we’re going to a wedding, and I will be wearing this dress which is very wrinkly. I’m half tempted to drop it off at the dry cleaner and have them iron it for me.
• Do you know what is almost better than the kidney stone diet? The heat wave diet. I’m making an infomercial about each of them. Let me know if you’d like to give a testimonial.
• I have not worked out in almost a week. I feel awful about this. I think tomorrow might be my big day back.
• I’d be completely happy if I didn’t leave the house at all this weekend. But, instead, we’re going to a Crawfish Feed (note: I hate crawfish, BAD FINN GIRL!), the Street of Dreams (maybe) and Bones and Brew.
• So, the street of dreams is in the Pearl this year. It’s usually in the suburbs. We hate the suburbs, so the location this year makes us really happy.
• I think that’s it! What are you doing this weekend?
• Edited to Add: Guess who works 45 minutes away and got 10 minutes away from work this morning only to discover that she left her laptop bag at home?

So, in hindsight, I should have shared my AWESOME experiences first. I really did have the best time ever at BlogHer this year, and I didn’t mean to leave the not awesome post up for so long, but have you heard? I’m melting.

Photo totally stolen from Angella.

Dinner Thursday Evening with Ali, Angella, Darcey, Slynnro, Kristin, Sizzle, Carrisa, Katherine, Kerri, and Kali. Such a good time.

Photo totally stolen from Sizzle

A trip to H&M with girls who should totally hate me because I “KNEW THE WAY” and took them the longest way possible. The only thing better than buying 2 blouses, a cardigan, a dress and a scarf for only $108 is doing it with great friends.

Skipping out on a party to watch the 16 and Pregnant Reunion and drink Greyhounds with great friends. No photo, but I did wear these jammies.

Oh look!  A photo from my own camera!

Having a great friend to work registration with. It made the nasty ladies not so bad. Also, this, which started out totally not awesome, but ended up awesome in the end: one of the bottles of EOS Shaving Cream in the swag bags exploded on my very lovely and very favorite blouse (pictured). I tweeted about this and ALMOST INSTANTLY, someone from EOS got right back to me saying they’d like to pay for my cleaning. Such awesome customer service. I will always buy their shaving cream from now on.

Stolen from guess who? Angella!

Drinking $10 cocktails in the lobby bar with the girls. Also, Susan and Chris are pretty hilarious and pretty awesome.

Fantastic friends and fantastic food. Also, a fantastic boyfriend who texts me as we’re being seated for dinner to tell me to buy the girls a bottle of wine on him. Also, live tweeting our dinner with such gems as this.

The second annual photo of Kristin and I hiding behind a tree. The first ever photo can be seen here.

Also – seeing the people that I met last year again, meeting tons of new people, shaking it at the MamaPop party, giggling, eating cheeseburgers with a paper bag on my head, shopping at Ann Taylor with a mimosa in hand,  and finally coming home to my own bed and my handsome boy. I can’t wait until next year!

I’ve been trying to put my BlogHer ’09 experience into words for the past couple days and I’m really not sure that I’ll ever be able to do it in the way that I want to. There were awesome experiences and then not so awesome experiences. I think I’ll start out my sharing my not favorite things, and then later one, we can move on to my VERY favorite things. And, I have a lot of very favorite things.

1. No recycling in the hotel rooms at the Sheraton. I’m an Oregonian. We really enjoy recycling here. It bothered me that there wasn’t a little blue bin in the room for recycling paper and plastic bottles. Call me crazy, but I have extreme guilt after throwing something away that could be recycled. Which is why I took a million little pieces of paper home, which now reside in my recycling bin. Roll your eyes if you must.
2. Not everyone is a MommyBlogger. On Friday’s lunch, my dearest Kaleigha suffered a yucky burn on her leg from the lights at the Ragu Lunch.  We went for a walk around the exhibit hall and noticed that Johnson & Johnson had a large first aid kit on the table that they were raffling off. We thought that maybe, just maybe they had bandaids or some similar first aid swag, because you know, LARGE FIRST AID KIT ON THE TABLE. They did not, which was fine, BUT, the person staffing the table said to us, “Are y’all Mommy Bloggers?” I told her, “No, we don’t have kids.” And, she replied, “Oh, so what do y’all blog about?” Seriously? I should close this blog shouldn’t I? Because I have no children, therefore nothing to write about. A little staff training goes a long way.
3. Be nice to the volunteers. This is totally different than the other swag debate that’s going on, but on Friday, Kerri and I were working at the table where you pick up your lanyard, BlogHer pin and swag bag. Unfortunately, during this time we ran out of swag bags. Most people were very gracious about not receiving their bag, you know, probably because it was full of stuff that nobody really NEEDS. But, the couple that were nasty were really nasty. One lady stared down her nose at us and said, “Not very organized, ladies!” Another told us that she paid good money to come here and she deserved her effing swag bag. To which I say, if you’re attending a conference just to get a bag of crap and not to actually learn something and meet people, then I suggest you take a look at yourself. I’ve worked in marketing my entire career, and a portion of that time has been spent doing events and I’ve never had anyone be that mad about not getting swag, and I’ve been at conferences in which we gave out leather TUMI bags. I’m sorry you didn’t receive the bag containing the Mr. Potato Head, but your anger is misplaced, and all you accomplished was making a volunteer really mad at you. Oh, and also, to that one Mean Lady? Loralee would like to see you. *Edited to add: Wondering if the tantrum throwers are the same women who were complaining over pre-show marketing? That’s a whole other topic for a different day.

There you have it: my three not awesome things. Next up: H&M, Friends, Best Dinner Ever, Wiener Whistles and how excited I am for BlogHer ’10 already.

So, I leave for BlogHer in oh, an hour. I’m sitting at Rogue Ales at the Portland Airport (Hi, BEST AIRPORT EVER! NO, REALLY) perhaps having a screwdriver and I’m so excited I can barely hold my shit together.

I did a post similar to this last year, and I thought I might do another one. So here goes:

Things you should know about me, Rhi (HAAAAA!)

• I often look like I’m deep in thought, or scowling. THIS IS JUST MY NORMAL LOOK. I’m not glaring at you. If you see me, say hi! It will wipe the rotten look off my face.
• I’ll be working at the registration desk on both Friday and Saturday from 10 to 1 with my lovely, lovely friend Kerri. I’ll be working VERY HARD at not scowling at people as they come to check in.
• If you need Tums, a Tide Stick, facial blotters, hand sanitizer, lotion, ibuprofen, etc. Let me know, as I probably have these items in my big ass purse.
• I’m a bit better about the hugging thing, but please do not be offended if I offer my hand instead of hugging.
• By the way: Explore Chicago did a great job putting together some deals for conference attendees. Check them out!
• Oh, and to my roommates: SORRY ABOUT MY SHOES. And, I might talk in my sleep. But, I’m not sure.

Okay, that’s it! See you guys there!

• I’m happy to announce that I finally have plane tickets to BlogHer. Hurray!
• As it turns out, having kidney stones is the best diet ever. I went a couple weeks with counting calories and running/Shredding and didn’t lose anything. Then, BOOM! 5 pounds, gone!
• FYI, if I have any facial bruising today, it’s because the boy elbowed me in the face AT LEAST three times last night. Tomorrow night, I’m drawing a line down the center of the bed.
• Can we discuss last night’s season finale of 16 and Pregnant? I don’t want to spoil anything, but OH MY GOD.
• Okay, but one thing: Smartest kids yet, dumbest parents yet. That is all.
• If you live in Portland, close to Portland, or in one of Oregon’s neighboring states, I am REQUIRING you to buy tickets to see Storm Large’s Crazy Enough. It’s heart-wrenching, funny, and awe-inspiring all at the same time. Storm’s voice is freaking amazing and I want to be best friends with her.
• And, if you come to see it, chances are, I’ll see it again.
• I’m apparently all about live performance this week, because tomorrow the boy and I are going to see Andrew Bird and The Decemberists. I almost don’t know who I’m more excited to see.
• Now, I must go. My presence has been requested downtown at 8 a.m. and I still have my hair in a towel.
• But, tell me…what are you doing this weekend?