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I’ve been to conferences before (usually in a costume), but this is the first time I’ve ever been to a conference that is just for me. I mean, not me personally – KimliCon would be a terrifying yet hilarious experience – but a conference for people who are crazy into technical writing, documentation, punctuation, grammar, content-appropriate tone, and the Oxford Comma. I’m in love.

Last night was the Write the Docs party, and even though I was convinced that I would end up skipping it because neon anxiety, my feet had other plans and I found myself attending. Naturally, I ended up having an amazing time and meeting a ton of really cool people, all of whom do awesome things. Today is the second day of the conference, and I’ve learned a lot so far – I have a huge pile of notes to go through and turn into content to share back home. I absolutely want to attend next year, and will be working on the people with the money to bring some fellow owls with me, as I think a few people in particular would get a ton out of it.

During my down time, I’ve gone to Powell’s twice and explored the Dr. Martens store thoroughly. When things wrap up tonight, I’m going to head to the waterfront and relive some GTA (sorry in advance). I fly home tomorrow, and while I wish I had thought of extending my trip so I could have more Portland time, I miss my cats and Ed. Only solution: another Portland trip later this summer! I love this place. I could easily live here, actually – wandering through Portland feels natural. I usually feel out of place in Vancouver what with my lack of yoga pants/small dog/wads of cash, but here I’m not weird. I haven’t decided if that’s a good thing yet – I kind of love standing out – but there’s a lot to be said for fitting in, too. I could fit in here.

If nothing else (and there is so much else), attending Write the Docs has reaffirmed that I am absolutely doing the right thing – I was meant to be a technical writer, and I will continue to be the best I can be until such a time information is shared by hive mind and I am obsolete.

I’ve been dodging aggressive kombucha vendors and eating handfuls of kale that fell from the sky since my train got in at 3pm, but it took me a full 6 hours to find a place to buy Diet Coke (which I did, in vast quantities). I passed 14 breweries, nine coffee shops, three boutique ice cream parlours, 5 bike shops, and one full-service sex store (bookmarked for later), but not a single one could help me fill my body with chemicals.

Welcome to Portland!

I’m here for a technical writing conference, and I am super excited. I’ve been trying to attend Write the Docs since its inception, but this is the first time I’ve managed to pull it off (thanks, boss!). There was a reception tonight where I awkwardly collected my conference badge, awkwardly collected some stickers, and awkwardly stood around being awkward for a while before I bailed to begin the Great Hunt (and also eat something that wasn’t friggin’ kale). The official start is tomorrow. I will be surrounded by people who are all about documentation. I’M HOME!

Before coming to Portland, Ed and I spent Saturday night in Seattle at the wedding reception of two of our friends. It was great to get all fancy and celebrate with awesome people – I am sorely lacking in excuses to get fancy, so I was pretty thrilled to doll up as the fanciest space hooker there ever was. The venue was a whiskey distillery in Woodinville, and there were open firepits and lemon curd everywhere. It was bliss.

While the Portland hotel isn’t hosting MamaCon like our Seattle hotel was, it’s still really nice. My room is a full-on suite with a kitchen and the most adorable Mad Men-esque stove I’ve ever seen, a separate bedroom with a king sized bed and almost enough pillows (there are 8), and a bathroom for unspeakable deeds. I’m both a block or so away from the venue and Powell’s Books, so I have plenty to do in the few free hours I have on Tuesday night. I’m also within skipping distance of the Dr. Martens and Fluevog stores, so .. sorry in advance, Ed. Portland has no tax, remember? That means everything is practically FREE.

Shit’s good, y’all.