Also, Wyndham hotels are generally nice, no?

Awesome! I haven’t been to ALA in years and don’t understand the cataloging parts, but ABA, at least, is free totebag city. I keep them ALL for loading up dry cleaning and loaning ceramic baking dishes (or anything heavy) to friends across town. What’s the best part of ALA, Molls?

Oh Laurel! Are you coming to any ALAs this year?

Yeah, the swag bags and the free books are teh best. I have been using a tote bag from Other Press as a purse (I carry a lot of shit with me), but then it died a miserable death.

ALA is a boozefest, really. Well, after sitting in fairly mind-numbing cataloging meetings all day, one needs to drink afterwards. The last one was in New Orleans, and I’m pretty sure I got flashed by some fellow librarians, while drunkenly walking back to my hotel. They were dowdy middle-aged women, throwing beads and flashing people. Gross.

My favorite part is sitting with my bitchy gay men librarians, and playing “spot the librarian” until we drink ourselves into oblivion. White sneakers with socks AND hose? Check. Lots of buttons? Check. Awkward demeanor? Check. They must be a librarian! Also, with 15,000 of them running amok, it’s not a hard game to play.

ALA is a boozefest, really.

This is kinda why I never want to go to one — nothing against boozefests per se, I just don’t want to be anywhere near the librarians I know when they get drunk.

I’m not going, either. If it was in NYC or even Philly I could maybe swing it but company has no reason to send me and I’m not vacationing to Seattle!!

Besides which, I’ll be in Seattle for EMP Pop Conference anyway. A much better reason for a boozefest!

Anyway surely it is understood that ALL academic conferences exist for drink, period.

Oh, I understand. I am fortunate enough to have librarian friends from all over who are of my ilk. We tend to avoid the other librarians like the plague (the ones who complain how their bunions are acting up from “all that walking!”).

I’m going to Seattle for ALA, but staying with my gay boyfriend. DC is going to be disgustingly hot, as ALA Annual was last year. Way to go, ALA! Choose the worst place possible for a conference (i know, i know, it’s cheaper).

The conference of the society whose journals we publish is in Seattle next week, but I don’t get to go. :( I want a boozefest

Actually, after dealing with a bunch of library folk in the lunchroom, I’m beginning to start to dread “everyone else” at ALA. I can’t handle the neuroses!

Drinks to obscure your entire day of meetings = fun

People in meetings = not so fun

I’m going to the ACRL conference, but that’s it.

Oh! With John Waters as the keynote speaker? Is that one soon?

Someone tried to get me to go to that, but then I was lured on to an ALA ALCTS committee, and have to commit to both midwinter and annual conferences.

With John Waters as the keynote speaker?

! Okay, that’s a new one on me.

Yeah, I think it’s in Baltimore!

Oh right, now I do remember hearing something about that.

Yes! It’s at the end of March, so it’s kind of soonish. It will be fun, hopefully? I only usually attend the regional type meetings so this will be kind of new for me.

I’ve never been to ACRL, just ALAs. They’re fun. It’s exciting to be around people “of your kind” but then it gets totally tiresome and you wish you could make all the lost library folks with their maps out in front of their confused faces disappear.

About how long is the turnaround time? One day, two hours...?

Well, it happens as soon as you get to the airport, really. The full-blown irritation starts at the airport proper of hosting city when you get to hear all the librarians bicker about the price difference between shuttle and taxi.

molly, i’ll be at midwinter! my favorite thing to do at these conferences is to greet the librarians by name who are still wearing their name badges out in the Real World. “hello mildred, that’s a lovely pair of ethnic-inspired earrings you are wearing!”

Yes! Perfect! That reminds me that playing “spot the woman’s studies librarian” is also a hoot.

I went to the NMRT roundtable “social” for the free food while in San Antonio. I left. It was awkward and at the Hard Rock Cafe. I’m not even a member of NMRT.

I went to San Antonio but was not allowed near the real librarians. I might stop by some DC conferences if anything looks interesting. I’d like to go to Seattle—maybe I will have a job by then...