RWA 2011 -Wrap Up

I've been home from RWA National just over a week and have a few thoughts organized into random categories.

Things I don't get- Times Square

• Commercials that you would fast forward through at home somehow memorize the masses when shown on screens in Times Square.
• People will stand in a big crowd to wave at their image on the big screen. I've yet to see a crowd in front of the security monitor as you enter Target.
• A naked cowboy, naked cow girl, Hershey's kiss and Transformer can all be seen greeting the tourists. There are more character greetings than Disney.
• There must be too many comedy shows in NYC. On every corner someone was either offering me tickets to comedy show or a bus tour.

Things about NYC that were cool

• The people. My roommate and I went on a long long walk to see Serendipity and were not sure we were going to right way. A New Yorker we met confirmed our directions but told us we would have a long wait and recommended Dylan's.
• Dylan's. Who knew that Ralph Lauren's daughter had a chain of candy stores? Not me! Dylan's peppermint patty ice cream sundae was just what I needed after our walk. And if my trainer is reading this I'd like to point out we did a 3 mile round trip walk for this ice cream!
• Walking around the city outside of Time's Square
• Virgil's Real Barbeque. Yum says it all.

The conference

• So many great stories of perseverance. Sherilyn Kenyon and Sharon Sala brought tears to my eyes. They are incredible women. I need to strive to have their strength and determination.
• Meeting old friends. I bumped into some members of my old chapter, NEC, and had a great time catching up. So glad the conference renewed our connections. I also roomed with a friend from that same chapter. She and I had been conference buddies for years. It was great staying with her again.
• Hanging with my current chapter mates. Yes, I know I am supposed to network and meet new people, but sometimes we are all so busy in our daily lives that we don't have time to connect to the people around us. It was nice to have time to chill and talk to my TARA sister.
• Making new connections. I met many fabulous women. Some were just starting out and who were already established, but everyone was great and joined by the love of writing. Sometimes we are so isolated as writer's that we think we are the only one going through something and it's just not true.
• Putting real faces to people on Twitter.
• The workshops. Great material as always. I can't wait for my DVDs.
• Volunteering. This was the first year I volunteered at RWA. It was a great experience and I highly recommend it.

So, another year is over. I am very glad I went to National. It was a great time and I am looking forward to next year in Anaheim. Romance and Disneyland. How much better can life get?