Day 130 Feb.24 2011

i had a fantastic time at a conference that i almost didn't go to.  the two friends i was going to go with backed out at kind of the last minute.  i saw myself walking into a big conference room bustling with the noise of laughter and banter and not recognizing a single face...well, to be honest.  but at the last minute, the tantalizing 'free stuff' that was mentioned in all the emails was what got me off the couch and into my idea of business casual attire.  i packed up the bug and dropped her off at her favorite home away from home-the Burrow residence. 

i walked into the conference room and heard laughter and happy banter, and -you guessed it- didn't recognize a single soul.  there were over 200 people at this thing...i had to walk through the crowd of people all standing in groups of 4-8 people and find someone that had the same answers to the 5 questions i answered while waiting in the registration line.
-my previous duty station
-years affiliated with the army
-my favorite food
-spouses age
-birth month
i had to do this if i wanted free stuff.  crap.  i like free stuff.  after a painful 10 min, i got my names of those that had matching answers, and found an open seat at a table.  i hate being forced to make friends.  i'm no good when the pressure is on.  i'm horrible at keeping up my end of the conversation, and i know i never ask the right questions to get people talking...deep down i'm not a good people person at all.  sooooo, i didn't try.  i kept to myself, sipped my water and sifted through my bag o goodies.

the girl to my left started catching my eye every time i looked up.  if i had been at a bar and were single and she were i guy, i'd be expecting her to come over and offer to buy me a drink very soon...she did the equivalent in army wife world: she asked me if my spouse was deployed.  long story short, i moved over one seat to sit closer to her and if we had been at a bar with all of the other requirements, i would have gone home with her phone number.  wait, i still went home with her phone number... :)

the conference wasn't what i expected, i didn't really have an expectation i guess.  but the two women that led the whole thing were good at talking.  and telling stories.  there was a lot of laughter.  and a lot of free stuff-even though i never actually won anything special, i think it was overall worth the 10 awkward minutes i had to endure at the beginning :)