My first Pre-Party! The ALATT Vegas All-Conference Pre-Party, that is.

I was invited to attend a pre-party pubcrawl the night before ALA Annual begins.  I paid a whopping 42-bucks for this so it better include champagne and a limo ride!  No, I'm expecting lots of fun and chance to see many places on the strip I probably wouldn't have gone to, otherwise.

The party is being hosted by Patrick Sweeney and JP Porcaro of the American Library Association's ALA Think Tank, or ALATT.  They are busting their butts to set this up so I don't want to disappoint.  A ton of people are going to this thing so get your tickets now!

Here's the link to the facebook page for the event.  I'll be looking around for more all-inclusive parties and will post about them here!

Interactive Exhibitors Map for ALA 2014

This interactive map of all the exhibitors at ALA 2014 is a great find!  I was able to find the ALA Games and Gaming Round Table area which I'm looking forward to visiting.

Splash bag

It's summertime and you know what that means!  If you are like me you'll be looking for some watering holes to cool off soon, and you know what coming into contact with water means?  Wet electronics!  So I saw this neat little device at Walgreens today and decided I needed it for my on-the-go, information professional lifestyle.  It's even got an external audio port for headphones.

I'm now blogging from inside the splash bag - cumbersome but will work on the water slide!

This is how the camera works from inside - I feel like this phone is so protected now that I want to throw it in the toilet to test it out (haha just kidding!  I'll wait until I get home!).

Cheap souvenirs

Going to ALA does not mean you have to give away precious swag as souvenirs to loved ones back home, but you also don't want to break the bank on pricey trinkets that are the warp and woof of tourism.  Save your money for the black jack table, I always say!

While I'm live blogging at the convention, there will also be posts on issues like cheap/free souvenirs, best hotel pools (haha, like they're going to let me in their pool), and some other stuff I haven't thought of yet.

So much for sleeping

Good thing I'm going to Vegas, a place like my home town in that it never sleeps!

Maybe I'm still totally stoked from finding out that I will be a stringer blogger for American Libraries for their coverage of ALA 2014 in the happiest place on earth - no, wait, that's Disney World.  Anyway, I can get to sleep to save my life tonight so I'm blogging today about what I just spent the last hour researching, mass transit in Las Vegas. 

http://www.rtcsnv.com/transit/fare-information/

I CANNOT believe they are charging peeps 65 dollars for a thirty day pass to the las Vegas transit system - who rides the bus for thirty days straight?!  Oh wait, that would be people with normal, everyday jobs in Las Vegas.  Still better than a car, cost-wise, but ends up costing me 4.05 each way between the convention center and the zen center!  A super friend offered to let me stay with her, but I really want to stay at the zen center.  Who needs in-room cable when you've got the Las Vegas strip?!  And the zen center looks like it has a pool , but that could just be ornamental - I'll have to see!

Plus, as always, cycling seems to be the middle path, here, as far as time spent in transit.  The longest, of course, being the bus.

Exhibits (a.k.a. Swag Central)

Totally going to blog the ribbon cutting and opening ceremonies for the ALA Exhibit hall, taking place from 5:30pm to 7:30pm on Friday.  Not only because it is a massive exhibit experience, but also because there is going to be SO MUCH LOOT!  And probably tote bags and t-shirts, I hope!

Hello! Meet ALA's newest blogger!

Yes, that's right!  I just got the good word from the editor of American Libraries Direct, George Eberhart, that I will indeed be blogging to my little heart's content at the ALA annual!  Live blogging, pool blogging, casino blogging -- every meaty blogstuff that's ready to be blogged for you, dear readers/viewers!  I can't wait!  I've got to start coming up with more blog features.  I'm supposed to look at the conference schedule and decide which things I'm going to blog - DEFINITELY blogging Stan Lee!

05/06/14- corrected to include George Eberhart's correct title, which I erroneously reported to be the editor of American Libraries, which is actually Laurie Borman.  Details, people!