Category Archives: UnProfessional Photography & Artwork

Introduction to my week

In my life, I have participated in some strange events because something told me that I should.  An example would be when I played a ghoul on the Ghost Train.  I ended up on the train with the adults, rather than with my high school classmates outside in a field freezing and playing with a chainsaw.  I have always felt weird about this my whole life.

I just realized: THAT WAS AWESOME!!!  I didn’t have to freeze or, more importantly, spend time with people who had no desire to spend time with me.

Other events have included going to presidential campaign events, genealogical meetings, weather-spotter meetings, and numerous others.

One such event I participated in yesterday.   I signed up and attended WordCamp.  Now, the write up for this event describes it as such:

WordCamp Detroit 2012 is managed and organized by a group of people who share a few key interests: Passion for the web, the love of WordPress, the drive to teach and belief in the a**-kicking city of Detroit.

From: http://2012.detroit.wordcamp.org/about/

Having actually attended the event, I would say it was a mish-mash of speakers of various levels of professional speaking ability and various levels of experience in WordPress/website coding/google/none and/or all of the above.  And you really need more than a basic level of knowledge of WordPress.

What I learned this week was that there is some degree of knowledge between writing a goofy little blog in my living room and the info that was dispensed at WordCamp.  And I am not sure where I need to look to find that info.

The word I heard over and over again that seems to be my biggest deficiency right now seems to be something called a plugin.  Or rather, many, many of them.  If my blog suddenly STARTS stalking you, then you will know I did something wrong:)

I also learned this week that I can put on my big girl panties (I hate that term) and drive all by my little self to big, bad Detroit on the frightening freeways and find the scary parking garage, and make it home again.

I was literally terrified to go all by myself.

My husband even offered to drop me off and pick me up.  But it is one thing for me to disrupt my life to attend an event, it is another to expect my husband to disrupt his entire Saturday as well.

Driving before 8:00AM on a Saturday, the traffic was not bad at all, and the one detour I had didn’t take me beyond the road I needed to turn on to.  And no one mugged me and stole my laptop on the way to the workshop.  Which was my second biggest fear, next to driving.  I had even emptied out my extra credit cards from my wallet so I would have fewer companies to call when my wallet was stolen.  And then I put my drivers license and credit card in my pocket while I walked on the street, so that they hopefully wouldn’t be stolen at all.

The drive home was another matter.  My return home Google Maps directions looked very clean-cut and easy.  WRONG!  It turns out the venue was right next to Comerica Park (Home of the Detroit Tigers).  Like, you could see it right out the fifth floor windows where we were all day.  WordCamp got over one hour before the first Tigers playoff game of the year.  And Google Maps wanted me to drive right in front of Comerica Park.  So did all the one way streets that made it impossible for me to go any other direction.

I either missed my turn or the road was blocked there or both.  I ended up on Woodward Avenue, which was kind of a lucky break.  It is a very major road, so there were signs directing me back to the freeway.  Where I ran into all the traffic still arriving to the Tigers game. 

And wouldn’t you know it, my Service Engine Soon light popped on as I am trying to not collide with anyone in game time traffic?  I seriously have nightmares like that.  (My husband tells me to ignore the SES light.  It seems to only be an issue in the winter.  He claims it has to do with level of ethanol in the gasoline, or something like that.)

I was driving 80mph in the slow lane.  I couldn’t wait to get home to my safe little house.

The most important thing that I learned might be that although I don’t want to do something (and every molecule in my body is screaming at me not to), I can do it if I make myself.

I’m not stalking you. is NOW ON FACEBOOK! “Like” that I’m not stalking you and get an update when there is a new post to read. (It is sort of like YOU are stalking ME.)