LizaWasHere: I Won Something!

The advantage of the fact that I've been pretty much unemployed for the last 6 months -- and am only partially employed even now -- is that SOMETIMES I can answer email really fast.

Other times, I go days without being able to pick up the computer.

Now that I mention it, maybe there is no advantage.

There was one day when there was an advantage to being unemployed, and I was online when an email arrived: the April 22, 2009 "BlogHer Conference News" message.

It contained a contest:

Guess the Keynote Speaker!

In addition to the Community Keynote on Friday night, BlogHer '09 will feature a panel of media gurus on Saturday the 25th. We haven't announced them yet, pending a public press release, but we thought it would be fun to have a little contest to Guess the Keynoter. Whoever guesses correctly first gets an extra drink ticket for Saturday night's cocktail party! Read on for your hints...

Keynoter #1:

Keynoter #1 is the creator behind a very popular cable series that just had its last season. She'll be talking about how she plans to continue to feed her hungry audience the kind of programming they rarely get to see, and how going online may be just the way to do it.

Well, I was the fastest lesbian reading her email at the time. I know this, because I can pretty much guarantee that 98% of US blogging lesbians knew the answer instantly: Ilene Chaiken, creator of The L Word and OurChart.com.

I won! I responded in 3 minutes, including checking the spelling on Ms. Chaiken's name.

Of course, I am the world drinking lightweight, so an extra drink ticket is the last thing I need. Maybe I'll have a contest giveaway for it here. What kind of contest should I have?

All of the keynotes were FINALLY announced, and while they look like a fantastic group, I am secretly just as excited that of the 5 "regular program" bloggers also in the big press announcement, one is my friend and a speaker I recommended to BlogHer, Anne Collier. Anne is the longtime editor of NetFamilyNews, and the newly appointed co-chair of the Obama administration's Online Safety & Technology Working Group. (Among her many other impressive accomplishments.)

Another advantage to less than FT employment: sick child care is easy. Noah seems to have some sort of little viral thing that gave time a spiking temp and intermittent listlessness today. School sent him home just before lunch, poor little guy. We spent the afternoon watching Cars and playing racecars. Fortunately, Josie doesn't seem to have caught it, knock on wood.