Amazon discontinued the ability to create images using their SiteStripe feature and in their infinite wisdom broke all previously created images on 12/31/23. Many blogs used this feature, including this one. Expect my archives to be a hot mess of broken book cover images until I can slowly comb through 20 years of archives to make corrections.

Monday, May 3, 2010

My Internet Life, RWA Hotel and RT Drama

A heads-up that for the next week my face time on the Interwebs will be extremely limited. I'll be skimming blog posts, rarely commenting, absent from Twitter and mostly glancing at my e-mail - because the Super Librarian parental units are paying a visit to the Bat Cave. They've spent the last week visiting with Lil' Sis and my new baby niece, and now it's my turn. Honestly, I'm a little surprised I'm seeing them much at all - what with my niece being way cuter than I am. Of course, I can take them to Disneyland, and my niece isn't quite up for such fun and frivolity yet.

I've got a few posts scheduled to go live while I'll largely be unplugged - so at least this blog won't be a vast wasteland of nothingness while I'm away.

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The RWA conference is in Nashville this year, and word came down today that the Gaylord Opryland hotel (that would be the conference hotel) is flooded - along with most of Nashville. RWA has issued a press release - but at this point, it's too soon to know what's going to happen. The conference is still three months away, and hopefully the city will be well on it's way to recovery by then. If the Opryland hotel isn't doable, I'm hoping RWA can find another hotel in Nashville to accommodate the conference - as it would be lovely if my tourist dollars could stay in the city. Nothing helps recovery quite like tourists throwing their cash around.

Here's hoping the area sees some relief from the waters soon. I had no idea how bad it was/is. Further proof that my head has been in the sand thanks to my parents impending arrival, my new niece, my review backlog, and the end of the fiscal year crunch here at work.

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Readers and authors are starting to pop back online after returning to their normal existences after the RT Booklover's convention. Dear Author has a recap post up, and naturally, drama has erupted in the comments thread courtesy of the Mr. Romance pageant.

I don't have the time (or inclination) to rubberneck, but that won't stop me from offering my 2 cents. I'm more than likely going to attend RT next year, since they'll be in Los Angeles, and I want to put my money where my mouth is after whining the last several years that they've been nowhere near the west coast in recent memory. That said, I know there will be some elements at RT that won't be my thing. And that's cool. I have yet to attend any conference (romance novel or library related) where everything on the schedule was of interest to me. And inevitably, no matter how many people enjoy the event, no matter how well organized the conference planners are - shit happens. There's always some wee bit of drama, someone who hated the hotel/food/weather/city/whatever. Nothing can ever be 100% perfect, 100% enjoyable to everybody. So while this bit of drama has inevitably erupted regarding the conference, I'm sure there are oodles more attendees who had a blast and enjoyed themselves immensely.

Plus, let's be honest. It's easier to rubberneck over the uh, more over-the-top elements of the romance genre than it is to rubberneck over a bunch of a nice, respectable, intelligent women discussing their favorite novels. There's no drama in that, and the Interwebs needz dramz. If it bleeds, it leads.

ETA: Holy crap. So I lied and rubbernecked. Read a comment left by KristieJ and was gobsmacked! Not by her, but by something she heard/witnessed. Seriously? Seriously?! WTF?!?!?! Today I am ashamed I have ovaries.

11 comments:

Leslie said...

Your niece may be a heck of a lot cuter but you'll always be their little girl. :)

WTG Kristie! Seriously disgusted by the actions of those women. Pathetic that the woman could sit there and laugh about and not see how wrong it was.

Shiloh Walker said...

Actually it turns out that people are twisting what really happened.

It's hard to say what DID happen, but now it seems what happened is basically, the whole 'picture' thing was posed.

O_O

But there are so many conflicting stories, it's like...okay, what the hell?

Wendy said...

Leslie: I have freckles, my niece does not. I guess that ups my cuteness quotient....

Shiloh: The whole thing is making my head spin. I read some more comments last night, felt like banging my head against my desk, and figured I better stop while I was ahead. At this point the whole thing is like the mystery of what really happened to Jimmy Hoffa. We'll probably never know!

Lusty Reader said...

OH MY GOD wendyyyyyy!!!! this is the first ive heard of the RT mangeant madness. so im commenting here bc you gave me the heads up. consider it your good(?) deed for the day.

i neglected my new In Death book to read the DA thread and follow other links. how effin RIDONKULOUS. like shiloh said, regardless of what did or did not happen those blog comments are out of control.

*shaking head slowly* people are nuts

Unknown said...

I tried to read the comments on the DA blog but I thought my head might explode so I stopped.

Phyl said...

Totally off topic, Wendy. Just saw the news about Ernie Harwell. So sorry. It's hard to see the passing of an icon like that. Condolences to all Tiger fans tonight.

Shiloh Walker said...

I think Lusty Reader said it best:

"*shaking head slowly* people are nuts"

O_O

Wendy said...

I pretty much stopped following the DA thread after posting this, because I've been busy with Real Life - so I shudder to think how insane it's gotten in my lurking absence.

Phyl: Many thanks for your condolences. Ernie's passing wasn't a surprise, but sad all the same. I need to give the man a proper blog post just as soon as my parents board a plane back to the Midwest.

nath said...

LOL, I think size also plays a factor in cuteness... Just saying :P

So, did you already buy your plane ticket for RWA? I heard it was switched to Orlando... man, I'd be PO if I had already bought my plane ticket ^_^;

and I agree with you. While I really enjoyed the panels and workshops and activities, there were some elements at RT that was just not for me... but then, it's all about personality, it's like taste...

Wendy said...

Nath: And when my niece gets fat it's "cute." When I get fat - yeah, not so much.

Rosie and I are flying to RWA together, and yep - we had our tickets. Luckily the airline didn't charge us a penalty for making the switch in destinations. That said, the flight to Orlando was more expensive :( Oh well. But, once again - I'm ready to roll! Plane ticket booked, hotel booked, registration sent in....now I really need to get cooking on that presentation they want me to give to the librarians. Eep!

nath said...

Ohhh, that is very lucky that they didn't charge you more! Well at least, they're still holding the RWA and haven't canceled it, so that's good :D