one time at blog camp

blog camp 1.0 - denmark

as we learned at the first blog camps, there's not much actual blogging done. because it's just so much fun to be together and talk in person. so, we know better than to commit to a whole lot of online stuff (i never did get stickam working properly) at times we likely can't adhere to (because that's the other lesson...when 5-6 people are walking along, taking pictures of stuff, it takes way longer than you think).

instead, we are coordinating with blog camp 2.1 in reno and have agreed that we will take photos at certain times of the day and post them as soon as we are able. due to the 9-hour time difference, we will not try to post simultaneously. instead, we will each take pictures at the same time of day, when it's that time where we are and we'll post them. that way, in the week afterwards, we'll be able to compare photographic evidence of what each group was doing. (i hope this makes sense, i'll admit it's getting late here as i write this).

so, we will photograph the following events:

• arrival
• departure

additionally, we will take pictures at the following appointed times and if we are at even remotely in front of the internet at these times, they will be posted as close to the appointed time as possible.

saturday at:

• 9 a.m.
• noon
• 3 p.m.
• 6 p.m.
• 9 p.m.
  

sunday at (being realistic here):

• 10 a.m.
• 2 p.m.

a typical scene from blog camp 1.5 - england

see, talking and cameras

so, we do hope you'll check in with us and see what we've been up to. and we'll do our very best to get these pictures up as close to the appointed times as possible, for the benefit of all of you vicarious blog campers. and of course, like other blog camps, we'll definitely be gathering all of the best quotes and funny memories to share here in the week or so afterwards.

Four Rocks in the Tide

Looking at a picture I just posted on my own blog I realised something.

Four stones. Adjacent. The water flowing over them, with one barely keeping its head out of the tide.

It's us. Bloggers in the world tide. The water rushing around us. Close, but easily washed away with a bigger wave.

Deep. I know. But it's late, and appropriate, and I hope you understand.

Fear (without loathing) on 2.0 trail

I am going to blog camp 2.0 and I'm beginning to get scared.

I signed up for it way back in May when it was just an abstract idea and September seemed so far away. Even when I got the tickets it all seemed a bit unreal, if exciting.

And now that the countdown is starting (one more week to go!) all these questions are suddenly nagging me: am I going to fit in? how do you choose gifts for people you don't actually know? are we going to run out of topics?

Plus, all those Nikons showing off on the pictures from 1.0 and 1.5 are totally intimidating--how can I put my tiny Olympus Stylus 1010 next to these giants?

I'm off now to buy myself a guidebook to Copenhagen and hope to stop fretting.

and then there were four

plans are shaping up for blog camp 2.0 in just a couple of weeks. there are now four fantastic bloggers with tickets in hand and i'm working together with sara to plot ways of getting together virtually with blog camp reno, which is going on at the same time. there will be more details about that in the coming days, as our plans come together.

in the meantime, check out spudballoo, miss buckle, one planet and jelica, because they are coming to blog camp here in denmark. and of course, we hope to coax kristina across the sound for the fun as well.

and just a reminder for anyone who is new here...blog camp isn't really camping. it's hanging out at my house, in my studio/blue room/atelier/writing house/garden house (we don't know what to call it), taking lots of pictures, drinking lots of wine, eating good food, taking some more photos and laughing and telling stories. and there's always a jump shot.

heard and seen at BC 1.5 (aka BBC - British Blog Camp)

seen: beautiful B with a big, big smile.

heard: "when the back tire's not moving, it makes biking so much harder." - bee

seen:  polly and spud try to understand aperture (aperture is hard).

heard: "he goes camping on those frozen mountains." - spudballoo (those would be glaciers, dear.)

seen: twittering on iPhones (this one is kristina)

heard: "there was this huge campsite with...campers." - bee

seen: lots of conferring as to timing and traffic (traffic sucks in england). 

(yup, that's stonehenge behind them.)

heard: "oh no, there's loads of grockles here." - spudballoo

seen: polly posing (what a surprise. not.)

heard:  "in america, we may not have health insurance, but we've got a gun and the will to succeed." - julochka

seen: spud deciding she needs a macro lens

heard: "don't rush to crush." - spudballoo

seen:  stonehenge

heard: "we're sociable loners." - bee (quoting another blog friend whose name i didn't write down)

seen: cool shoes

learned: berkshire is pronounced barkshire.

“Feeling fizzy”…that’s how us tired but happy Blog Camp 1.5 girls described ourselves this morning over breakfast; a kind of energetic bubbling up of excitement and giddyness at our blossoming friendships. We all went to bed very very late, but no one could sleep at first because of the ‘fizzy’ feeling. Our lovely hostess Beth, astonishingly eloquent for rather early in the morning, described it so elegantly as being that rare emotion that a few, select girlfriends can inspire, almost akin to ‘romantic love’ if you like. She explained it so perfectly, but ‘fizzy’ is a good summary of what it feels like. If we could bottle it and sell it we’d be millionaires!

I’m too zonked to write with any thought plus I’m still ‘processing’ the weekend through my mind and waiting for something insightful to drop out the other end. We talked about everything, we photographed everything, we ate, we drank, we went on a trip, some of us were 2 hours late arriving and got lost on the way despite being the only native Brit attending, there were laughs, and debate, there was teasing, some people put their foot in it but the others were too kind to make a big deal of it (phew), there were presents galore and a lot of this:


But mostly we just felt fizzy. And we liked it! And we want some more of it! And we wouldn’t mind another round of those fizzy Kir Royales (pictured above) knocked up by Beth’s super husband. Cheers!

Oh, and it turns out that the ‘Group Jump’ shot hasn’t improved since Blog Camp 1.0. Shabby…very, very…shabby.

It was the eve before Blog Camp 1.5...

Oooooh so many thoughts and emotions. Mostly excitement because what could be finer than rocking up at a random stranger’s pad to spend the weekend with, um, a whole load of randoms from the interweb? Hoorah. Seriously, I’ve NEVER been disappointed by my many, many ‘real life’ encounters with people I initially met on the internet. I understand why many people feel anxious about taking the next step and meeting internet buddies for real…but my personal experience has been nothing but fabulous.

Think about it…these are people you have generally conversed with online for weeks if not months, or more. You share things you are often not comfortable sharing with ‘real life’ friends, for whatever reason. You’ve bonded, you’ve checked them out, you’ve bantered, you’ve giggled, you’ve shared stuff…and you already have the mutual interest that brought you together in the first place; it could be online dating (MrSpud, that’s you)…pregnancy/childbirth/hideous early days of motherhood and beyond (BFF and the ‘wife‘, that’s you)…and now bloggy peeps, or bleeps (that’s all of you reading this). When I think about my friends, I no longer differentiate between ‘real’ friends and internet friends, many of whom (perhaps 100 or so) I’ve never actually met. Means nothing to me – we don’t have to meet to be buddies.

But tomorrow I get to meet some of those interweb weirdies and I can’t wait. I’ve been packed for weeks…but today I made the final preparations. I finished up my crap gifts (pictured above) and wished I was capable of making something other than trouble; I packed the boot of the Shit Picasso (ek, I hate that car) with wine, gifts for bleeps, gifts for our hostesss, my dressing up box, a couple of axes for late night murdering in beds, spare liver, Blog Camp T shirt, stain remover to erase any blood splats from late night murderous activites, camera and entire lens stash for the Nikon gals (WE ROCK!), GPS, map and Grudge Book. I’m all set.

Hopefully there will be live blogging from the Camp (tequila permitting). If you don’t hear from me by Monday then they raided my axe stash and got me first. BUT REMEMBER GIRLS…I GRUDGE YOU FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE….

They don’t call me Scary Spud for nothing you know.

who is who?

i've got my little blog camp 1.5 prezzies all ready. which one do you think is for whom?

blog camp 2.1 - Reno!

our sister blog is up for Blog Camp: Reno! go and check it out!!

a hint

i shopped here for prezzies for blog camp 1.5 i wonder what all that pretty packaging contains?