I was one of last year's Netroots Nation scholarship winners. It was an amazing experience! (Be sure to vote and donate so others can go this year!)
First of all, I got my first airport pat-down on the way through security. The woman who had the honor of determining that I once again upheld my long-standing tradition of not being a terrorist, told me it was because my shirt was un-tucked. (Note to self: tuck in your shirt). Anyone who knows me will know how utterly ludicrous this was. I guess there were no token little old ladies in line who they could harass to prove they're keeping us safe.
Anyway, there was a huge delay - like several hours, due to bad weather, which resulted in me babysitting a woman's niece. The woman was sending her visiting niece home, but had to be somewhere else by a certain time. The delay was long enough, that she had to leave. We made sure the nearby flight attendants were aware of the arrangement, and then the young teen and I sat and largely ignored each other, while we read our respective books until flight time.
I arrived in Austin in the late afternoon, dragged my large, but exactly small enough to count as carry-on backpack, over to the bus stop and commenced waiting for the bus that would take me to the hotel.
The conversation between the two people there was interesting, and it didn't take long to figure out they were going to the same place. There's something about the combination of decent grammar and cogent thought that makes Kossacks stand out. One turned out to be BenGoshi. I have to apologize for not remembering the name of the other one. I was kicked in the head by a pony as a teen and it left me largely unable to pull names out of my brain. As a result, this diary won't contain a whole lot of names (sorry to all the awesomely cool people I met. If you're not specifically mentioned in here, it's not that I don't remember YOU, it's that I don't remember your name).
Anyway, it was a nice bus ride. The driver told us about how the buses have a device to change the lights in their favor. It had apparently been a huge struggle to make it happen, but it had made an incredible difference in the efficiency and acceptability of public transit.
Fast-forward to the Scholarship Winners Caucus. DFA gathered us all together so we could meet each other, talk a bit about why we were there, what our backgrounds were, and so on. I can't even begin to describe how diverse and interesting the people were! It was humbling to be among so many people doing so many great things. You could just tell that changes, large and small, would be happening all around the country (and world, since one person was from Japan) as a result of these people attending this event. (Did I mention that donations and votes will help others get there this year?)
It's all a bit of a blur, "drinking from a fire hose" is an apt description of the overall experience.
Thanks to the panel arranged by OrangeClouds115, I learned some interesting ...and scary ... things about food in the US. The concept I'd never really encountered before was that of inner-city food deserts: places that have been abandoned by grocery chains, leaving car-less residents to shop at the corner convenience store, where even something as simple and nutritious as an apple makes only a rare appearance.
I got to meet most of the Energize America team at the "Setting an Agenda for Progress" panel. It was funny - both DemocraticLuntz and I live-blogged. First he told me to delete since he'd already started his, but then as my bizarre habit of taking near-verbatim notes (that memory thing again) became obvious, he graciously ceded that mine was good, and should stay.
Adam Green organized a meeting of state bloggers with Lawrence Lessig, to discuss what we would want to see in a web app designed to help reign in the influence of lobbying money on Congress. It eventually became Change-Congress.org. It was a fun and interesting session. People had a bunch of great ideas and excellent feedback. As a sort-of-web-dev-geek, I always love to see the formation of new, useful web apps.
I made an unplanned trip to the career fair. Bad move - I wasn't dressed for it, and apparently the 2-minute hatchet job I did on my cover letter to make it generic, instead read as though it were a language other than English, even though all the words looked familiar. Sadly, I didn't know this, because I didn't get a chance to read it before we rushed over there. BOY was I embarrassed later! Needless to say, no employment offers ensued. Heh.
Next up was Governor Dean's keynote. It was awesome, but then again the Gov is always awesome. As a Vermonter, I feel spoiled, since I've been able to see him speak on many occasions. Others don't get such opportunities (hint, hint).
Somewhere in there some friends and I went to dinner at a Japanese restaurant nearby. I don't remember the name, but our waiter was hilarious. He was completely bored - the restaurant was empty that late at night. So he kept us entertained, joking around, and making a special hot sauce right there at the table, just for me (mostly to scare the others at the table, who have a predilection for "New England bland"). It involved flame. And it was absolutely DELICIOUS. If I ever get back to Austin, I'm asking for the recipe.
I could go on all night. There were tons of other panels ... and parties. At one event, I met Jim Hightower. The event (I think it was a book signing) was actually over and he was standing around, waiting for his wife, who was deep in conversation, so I actually got to talk with him for a few minutes. He's such an amazingly down-to-earth guy! It was really nice. I also met Don Siegelman's assistant. She was a real sweetie, and just thrilled about all the kindness she'd found at NRN.
The most fun for me was when Al Gore showed up. I had volunteered to help set up the tables for the breakfast and somehow ended up becoming a glorified bouncer - obnoxiously keeping the center aisle clear of attendees and photographers. Little (as in diminutive) me, a bouncer! Only at Netroots Nation!
I'll leave off here, before this turns into a 40 page auto-biographical mini-novel.
The important thing is that none of these, and the dozens of other cool experiences would have happened had it not been for the generosity of fellow Kossacks and DFA. There is so much I wouldn't have learned, and there are so many connections I wouldn't have made. I've kept in touch with many of the people I met there, and whenever something comes up that I think would be helpful to the things they're trying to accomplish, I send the info along. I like to think that the donations you all made have helped me help others make a difference, in addition to helping me be better at the things I'm doing on my own.
So thank you Kossacks, and thank you DFA!
P.S.: If you've read this far, you know you neeeeed to help others get there: please Vote and Donate today.