Chicago ALA Day 3

I am sitting in a session right now that's not at all what I thought it was going to be.  So, time to catch up.  There's been so much going on, though, that I'm not sure where to start.  I guess I'll write about the unexpected fun that came to me last night.  Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting at McCormick, trying to type up notes from the Advocacy Institute, when I heard someone call my name.  It was Jessamyn.  When she invited me to go to a Web Junction reception with her, I told her I was waiting for Barack.  Good thing she came along or I'd still be sitting there, since Barack Obama is speaking this evening.  I'm all discombobulated, since I came to ALA a day earlier than I normally do. 

So, I followed along, tired and wondering if I should just go back to the hotel and have a down-time night.  I'm so glad I resisted common sense, as the reception was sort of a preview of the blogger reception tomorrow night.  Jessamyn bugged out early, heading to a meeting, and I talked to fellow Councilor Michael Golrick for awhile.   It was so odd, but fun, to have people know me from looking at my name tag.  "Tinfoil + Raccoon!" (which I learned is sometimes referred to as "Tinfoil and Raccoon").   I got to meet Eli E and the It's All Good gals (I'd met George before), Roy Tennant, an editor from LJ, Vicki Nesting (from Public Libraries).  Unca Walt was there, as were lots of other folks.  Unfortunately, I had no idea where the Hilton was, in relationship to my hotel, but was able to share a walk, part-way,  with another Councilor and his wife.  My route took me along the periphery of Taste of Chicago, and I got to see all the places I'd only seen from the inside of a bus.   Millennium Park, with its whimsical fountains, was fun, especially given that it was a blistering hot Friday night.