802 Online Archives

Returned to snowy VT this afternoon. Bought a copy of Jay McInerny's Bright Lights, Big City for $4 at the used bookstore in the Raleigh airport (one of only 3 airport used bookstores in the country, apparently). Finished it while waiting for my luggage at the Burlington airport. Reminded me why I love Vermont. As if I needed a reminder — every time I fly home and see Camel's Hump, and Mt. Mansfield, and recognize Burlington, Rock Point, the Intervale, Winooski, and my neighborhood, I'm overwhelmed by a sense of belonging and connectedness and ownership. This aerial view is so comforting. I can't imagine wanting to live anywhere else.

Update on the blogger conference is forthcoming. I need more time to digest and organize my thoughts. I'm working on my vision for what will work here in VT. As my Vermont librarian Jessamyn West says, Vermont is in "a technology shadow." Vermonters, she says, just don't have that "techno-lust" that seems to have caught on in bigger urban areas.

Much of the talk at this weekend's conference revolved around how the blogging community can influence the media. But how does an alternative weekly newspaper go about supporting a blogging community that doesn't quite see itself as a community yet? I have some ideas, and I'm working on implementing them. As always, I'm actively searching for input. I'll share my ideas soon...