Sunday, June 17, 2012

Even extroverts get nervous



I am not what you'd call shy.  And I can back that up with proof.  Anecdotal, but proof nonetheless.

One time, Evelyn (BFF) and I were en route to a conference in Colorado. We were at the Denver International Airport, waiting for a shuttle to take us the rest of the way to Boulder.  The airport was over-airconditioned and we went outside so that I could warm up and BFF could have a cigarette.  A little ways down the walkway, a well-dressed man was sitting on the sidewalk, his back against the wall of the airport, and next to him was the largest dog crate I had ever seen.  It was the kind with opaque plastic walls on all sides except for a wire mesh door.  Try as I might, I couldn't tell what kind of dog was inside there. All I could tell from the movement I could see through the thin slots in the plastic walls was that it was big.  Really big. My curiosity got the better of me, and I walked over and started a conversation with the man, and asked him what kind of dog was in the crate.

It turns out it wasn't a dog at all.  It was a goat.  A prize-winning stud goat.  (And just to clear things up, contrary to the story that BFF tells everyone about this incident, I did not start my conversation with the man in the suit by saying, "Nice goat, mister.")  But I did chat with him a while, much to BFF's consternation, I think she was worried that he might taser me and throw me into the crate with the goat and then load the crate into a white cargo van with no distinguishing characteristics because really, can you trust a man in a nice suit who sits on the sidewalk and, you know, TRAVELS WITH A GOAT?)  He was actually very interesting, and told me how the goat was being shipped to California to mate with another prize-winning lady goat.  We said goodbye a few minutes later to BFF's obvious relief when the shuttle bus arrived.

In later years I wondered why he didn't just freeze the goat semen and ship it Fedex to Cali, but he didn't, and now I have this great anecdote, and, as an added bonus, will probably see "frozen goat semen" show up as a search string for hits on my blog, which will totally reaffirm my belief in the weirdness of the Internet.  But I think this kind of illustrates that I am not shy.

Blog Out Loud Ottawa was a wonderful event, and I had so much fun.  It was held at the Arrow and Loon and as soon as I saw all the people gathered there to hear the talks, I started to get nervous.



But I had my posse with me (and I mean 'posse' in the old, Western sense, not 'posse' the hip, urban sense, because that would just be so not me.) Becca, Debby, and Kate came out to support me. Behind them you can see all the other people who weren't visible in the first picture.  All those people made me very nervous.



  Kate tried to distract me by taking our picture together with my camera.  I have never been successful at this, but at least I wasn't making a duck face.





Once the talks started, I was mesmerized by the stories.  Some were funny, some sad, some uplifting.  Some had us all laughing and some had us choked up.  The talent on offer that night was amazing.

My palms grew damp.  I was very, uncharacteristically, quiet.  Lynn, who organized the event, came over and asked if I would mind being bumped to later in the agenda.  I said not at all, happy for the short reprieve, and doubly happy not to follow this post, which was hilarious.

But eventually the time came, and this very, very nervous extrovert came up to the front.  I was actually amazed that the mic didn't pick up how hard my heart was pounding or the rattle of the paper in my hands.  I began speaking, and it was OK.  The nervousness seemed to float away.  I was actually enjoying myself.




And everyone laughed where they were supposed to.  And everyone clapped at the end, even though I forgot to say 'thank you' when I was finished.

It was scary, and liberating, and fun.

Thanks so much, Lynn, I hope to be able to do it again next year.

***EDITED to add, the post that I read out loud was Don't Go In The Basement***

16 comments:

  1. I'm glad it was a good experience for you, Alison. Did anyone video it?

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    1. Yes, my friend filmed it on my camera with less than stellar sound quality. I'm too shy to post it on my FB page, but I will send you the link in an FB messg. :)

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  2. WOW! I know I've already told you this: But I am so damn proud of you.

    Also, your hair was amazing. Nice pearls too. ;-)

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    1. Thanks, Jen! The pearls gave me confidence. I could feel their weight and it reminded me that the Wives were rooting for me. :)

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  3. I was there, right in the front, and you were awesome! My husband @garychampagne and I have a few times made comments about your post since then - when an unidentified noise comes up, turning lights on in the basement etc. You rocked!

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    1. Thank you so much! That's so nice to hear. I wish I could have stayed afterwards to meet people, but I didn't drive and I had to leave with my ride. Next year, I'm going to drive so that I can hang out afterward and schmooze.

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  4. Wow, I'm impressed with your courage, it's not easy standing up speaking in public.

    Did you read out an existing post, or do one specially for this event?

    In some ways it's a bit weird. Most bloggers never meet their audience, and in some ways that's the charm of blogging.

    There are some people who comment on m'blog who I'd love to meet, but their are others who I think would scare the sh*t out of me.

    Nice hair.

    At least you've got some. *sob, sighs for lost hirsuteness*

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    1. TSB, you're right, I forgot to mention which post I read. I've now edited the post to to link to 'Don't Go In The Basement' which is from January 2012 and which I read on Thursday.

      I have really liked meeting the people who comment on my blog, and I've made some good friends in real life from people who I've met that way. Like Jen on the Edge who commented above.

      I'm sorry about the departure of your hair. :)

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    2. "I'm sorry about the departure of your hair"

      So am I.

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  5. 'Her hair looks awesome' was one of the VERY FIRST things I thought. And even though I'd read the post, it was funnier hearing it out loud. Sorry I didn't get to talk to you more (always one of my biggest BOLO regrets). I understand why it would be harder to do it on a week-end, but it always feels somewhat Cinderella-ish at the end, with everybody evaporating minutes after the last reader is done. Meaning me. Not that I took it personally.

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    1. I was totally *not* running away from you. But I was running after my friend who had driven me to the shindig and was anxious to get home and get her kids in bed. I would have loved to hang out with you and Amanda, and to have met some of the people there that I don't know. So next year, I shall drive myself. And I won't wait til next year to try to get together with you.

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    2. And thanks for admiring my hair. Not that I gave anyone a choice. My hair was fairly screaming "ADMIRE ME, DAMMIT" all night. Plus, I pointed it out in a photo with an arrow. Good thing I'm not vain. *eyeroll*

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  6. You were WONDERFUL and I was so happy to meet you in person.
    Loved the hair too - yes, I really did notice how nice it was!

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    1. Thanks so much, Finola! I was so happy to meet you too. I hope I wasn't too manic when you came over to talk to us at the table, I was in adrenaline mode. BOLO was fun, and I'll go next year, whether I get to read or not.

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  7. You did GREAT! Yours was the first post I told DH about when I got home. I totally mangled it, of course, I'll have to make him go read it :).

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    1. Thanks, Sasha! I really liked your post too. It was powerful. It was funny in places and it really made me angry for you. What a horrible woman. I'm so glad your doctor stepped up to the plate.

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