I know I haven’t blogged yet, but I arrived in Chicago yesterday at about 2 p.m. There was a gigantic fuck-up with the Greyhound bus not arriving on time, so I missed attending the White Sox game with another BlogHer CE.
I attended so many cocktail parties and have met so many people. It’s absolutely overwhelming and wonderful and exciting wrapped up in a bow!
Flickr photos here.
Conference is beginning!
I am more excited than you can ever imagine about going to BlogHerCon tomorrow. There are no words to describe how I elated I am to meet so many of the amazing women (and men) who blog and will be in attendance.
I started packing last night because in my crazy world, I have to get up at 1 a.m. tomorrow to depart via Greyhound bus to get to Chicago. I have some fears about bus travelling and I really shouldn’t. This isn’t the first time I’ve done this bus thing.
The one thing I’m worried about is my luggage and laptop that I’m bringing with me. I’m going to keep my laptop on the bus with me, but there’s this crazy fear that I’ll get mugged or something. And then this whole take-a-taxi-from-the-bus-depot-to-the-hotel-thing. What if I screw this up? What if my taxi driver turns out to be a weirdo? What if there aren’t any taxis and I have to take a train? I don’t know the red line from the blue line from the green and orange lines. Good heavens, I’m going to work myself into a tizzy if I don’t stop this!
I’m also a bit worried about leaving Dawson for four days. He’s in good hands with his father, and my parents are going to help while I’m away, but I worry that my little boy will miss me and ask about me and wonder where in the world his mother is when she’s normally home with him.
Can you tell I desperately need this mini-vacation? I do. I really do.
I can’t function at work because I’m fretting over last minute details and whether or not I’m actually going to get any sleep. During my lunch hour I have to run a few errands, like going to the bank and purchasing some toiletries I’ve forgotten.
After all is said and done and midnight kisses are given to one special toddler, I think I’m going to have a great time. Actually…I know I am.
See you in Chicago!
(Those of you who are unable to attend, I will miss you dearly and I promise to take many, many photos of this event!)
He was a tall man with very gray hair. I’d guess his age was about seventy-five. He wore tan pants and a white short-sleeved dress shirt. A pair of suspenders completed the ensemble and I suspect kept his pants from falling off as he danced.
She was a young woman, no older than thirty and she wore a black skirt and red tank top. As she twirled around the dance floor, her blond hair whipped across her shoulders.
The smiles on their faces were the most genuine I’ve seen in quite a long time. To witness the joy on the old man’s face as he danced with her brought a smile to my own face. The woman was adorable as she danced, and she smiled and nodded at her partner with each twirl.
This display of friendship between two very different generations was beautiful and it always makes me feel wonderful to know that Polka music brings people together.
This past weekend I spent my time at the 29th Annual Pulaski Polka Days celebration. It’s been a tradition in my family to attend this event for the past eight years or more. My parents, my siblings and now my son enjoy listening and dancing to polkas.
I’ve had a love for polka music since I was a young girl. My father played bass guitar in a polka band and my mother played the concertina as a teen. Polka music is part of my Polish heritage and frankly, it’s in my blood. As the Polka Family Band says, “The love for the music binds us together; all of us are part of one big polka family.”
I can’t think of a truer statement.
Pulaski, Wisconsin is a town of 3,000 residents. People travel near and far to hear the sounds of the Polka Family Band, the Polka Country Musicians, the Dynabrass, Eddie Blazoncyk’s Versatones, The Knewz, New Phaze, Dennis Polisky & The Maestro’s Men, Chad Przybylski, Aaron Socha’s Livewire, The Maroszek Brothers, The New Generation and so many more of the nation’s top polka bands.
In years past, John Gora & Gorale, Lenny Gomulka & Chicago Push, Change of Pace and Charm City Sound and the former Toledo Polkamotion have also performed at Pulaski Polka Days.
The talented musicians that make up a polka band put so much time and effort into their craft, their music; just to put a smile on our faces and a spring in our dance step. Many of these musicians have been members of several different bands. They truly are a polka family. I’d give you a timeline, but it is insanely difficult to keep up with polka gossip. (You don’t believe me? It’s true. Trust me. Some of you polka maniacs reading this know exactly what I’m talking about.)
I know that many people roll their eyes at the mention of Polka music, but it’s only because they’ve never experienced a Polish festival. It’s an experience beyond compare. The rumor that Polish people know how to party is true. We do it well. We party hard. We party like rock stars except no one gets hurt because no one fights in the presence of Polka music! I suppose we should rephrase that to say, “We party like polka stars.”
One of the best memories I recall of Polka music is when my father played his bass guitar along with a vinyl recording of Eddie Blazonczyk, Sr.’s song “Polka Hero”.
The song is truly my favorite and it’s the inspiration for my own love of polkas.
I leave you with a few photos from this year’s Pulaski Polka Days celebration!
More photos here.
As a blogger, it’s so easy to write about volunteering and donating to charity. But how many of us actually participate in the things we write about?
Thanks to the new site iBakesale, I can put my money where my mouth is (where my charity is?) and really make a difference for the organizations I support.
When you shop online via iBakesale, you can earn cash back (by percentage of purchase) that can be donated to various charities, as well as local organizations such as little league, private schools, etc., AS WELL AS yourself.
What a better way to raise money for the American Suzuki Foundation of Stevens Point? Or the Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools? Or the local chapter of the Susan G Komen Foundation?
When I first heard about iBakesale, I worried that it would be too difficult to set up my account and start my donations. After I took the time to register, I realized it’s quite easy and I encourage you, my dear readers, to get involved, too!
You can sign up your own local groups, private schools and organizations or you can get money back for yourselves on your purchases, or you can support my groups; the American Suzuki Foundation of Stevens Point or the Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools. (Let me just say these groups desperately need the funds. Please register and click on the state of Wisconsin to find my groups.)
Think of all the great organizations out there who could use a little funding! Won’t you join iBakesale today? Click here!
This post is part of a blog blast sponsored by The Parent Bloggers Network. If you have any questions about iBakesale, feel free to contact by e-mail the folks at iBakeSale: info@ibakesale.com.
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