Where the H*@* is Mimi?

It happened again...
Just like last year...
M.E.T.C. 2011 just blew my mind...

Everyone keeps asking me "How was it?", and all I can answer is "Awesome".
I feel like a giddy 15 year old, who has no (or has lost) her vocabulary.

Yes, I'm crushing on you M.E.T.C... You once again left me speechless, and lord knows that doesn't happen to me very often.

How do I explain? How do I tell people that I can't fully wrap my brains around the whole experience?

Maybe I should start with this year's theme?
Motivate, Engage, Transform, Connect....
Did you even look at the program?

What is it? Like 180 sessions? Which reminds me...
Dear Mr. Creator of Twitter,
I love you.
Sincerely,
MIMI

I cannot imagine this conference without the power of Twitter. I can be engaged in one conference room, and actively participate in discussions taking place in different rooms or even out in the cloud. A real ADD fest... Perfect for me. But I digress.

I could go on and on about the variety of sessions and "tools" that I was introduced to (or reminded of)... but I think I would not be doing this conference justice.

You see... To me... the magic of the M.E.T.C. experience lies in the people... The organizers, whose "planning" tweets I have been following all year long... The presenters, whose knowledge and creativity always amaze me... These guys are very good... but the true magicians... those who motivated me with their ideas... those who engaged me in brilliant conversations... those who transformed me from a shy, sweet little thing (OK, here I'm pushing a tad)... To me, the beauty of M.E.T.C. lies in its attendees...

Between the session rooms, the connection lounge, the tweet-ups, the lunch lines, birds of a feathers, the sharing of power strips, and sometimes of "hot spot" (I cant thank you enough @hankb), conversations are started... Connections are formed...

Strong connections too... Connections that last through the year via Twitter, email, phone calls... Connections that I carry in my heart, when I go back to my (sometimes lonely) District... And it is to these connections that I reach out to when I feel isolated, in my quest to become a better teacher. I re-live the conversations... I smile at the memories of the jokes and the occasional "trash talk"... I tweet out... And then I remember... I am not alone... I am CONNECTED... No matter where I am...

Let me show you what I mean...
Here is the Video Essay that I have submitted to #METC_CSD... (Yes I DO want to win the Ipad), but I truly believe it provides a glimpse into the magic of M.E.T.C.

 "Where the H*@* is Mimi?"...
(inspired by one of my favorite viral video "Where the hell is Matt?)