![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Feb. 12th, 2007 10:39 pmToday I signed up for the Texas Distance Learning Association Conference at Moody Gardens, Galveston, Texas, on March 26-29. Today was the last day to register at the better price price.
Galveston
I haven't been to Galveston in a quarter of a century, so it's probably an exotic locale again for me. For example, I've never even heard of Moody Gardens.
My Girl Scout troop used to camp at Galveston State Park, which was way cooler than some Girl Scout camp because it had boys in it. This is where I learned to make a broom by tying plants together. And this is also where I learned (the hard way) that "charcoal" can mean burned wood as well as those briquets that come in a bag.
I'm not a big beach person except in winter, when it's quiet and empty. I once collected a lot of broken sand dollars in Galveston. I still have that collection in a decorative glass container. If I were to decide to get rid of this, it might be fun to put the sand dollar pieces back on the same beach for others to find.
Logistics
Last time I attended the TXDLA conference, it was in San Antonio, and I took a bus almost right from my house to the conference. I stayed in a budget hotel just a few blocks away.
This time, things will be different. The bus station is nowhere near the conference. It's too close to fly (especially since flying sucks, sucks, sucks nowadays). So I'm driving. Google Maps says it will take only 3.5 hours. Ha! I always think of Houston as being 200 miles and thus four hours away, and to get to Galveston you have to go all the way through Houston. But Google Maps claims it's still only 205 miles. Anyway, it's close enough for driving.
Once again, the hotel at the conference is pricy: $135 + tax per night. Also, it's full. Here are some other possible options I've discovered:
* Inn at the Waterpark, the cheapest overflow location - $59 (+ tax?). I don't need to be nearby because I'll have a car. It also has a free breakfast that I don't need because all my meals are already paid for.
* Motel 6, a few miles away - $38 + tax
* HI (Hostel International) Galveston, about 6 miles down the beach - $18.50 + tax + $28/year membership + long distance call to make reservation, open 24 hours, all ages allowed
* Galveston Island State Park, about 10 miles down the beach in the other direction - $15, $20, or $25/ night, but the gate is open only 8am-10pm, so that's no good
I stayed in a hostel once before and it was a fabulous experience. It was super cheap. It was easy walking distance to the conference center, so I didn't need a rental car. We had to do a chore--I swept in the morning before anyone got up. Staples were provided in the kitchen. And there were interesting people from all over the world staying there. I didn't talk to any of them, but they talked to each other in my presence.
Now I have better social skills. This place is apparently a hotel that sticks bunk beds in the rooms for hostelers. There's no food, but there is a kitchen, and there are no chores. There's free internet in the lounge area. There's a swimming pool, patios, and it's right on the beach. And it's no big deal that I'd be sharing a room with a bunch of people of the same gender - my boyfriend is not coming with me, I don't snore (at least not loudly), and I can sleep through all kinds of noise. I'm thinking of calling them and finding out more. If that doesn't sound good, I'm thinking of just going with the Inn at the Waterpark.
Career Preparation
I should make a plan to get more out of the conference this time. Last time I learned that UT System had jobs I wanted and I learned that most people attending were teachers who had become the techies of their school or district and moved into computer jobs.
This time I volunteered to help with registration. This is probably a good way to get to know some people.
I could also make contributions to the event blog (which is currently down).
I've been reading in how-to-network advice that I should ask people how they got their jobs and how they'd recommend that I prepare for a job in this field.
I should try to think of some more strategies. Hanging out alone on the beach at my hostel is probably not the best way to go, here. On the other hand, I wouldn't be surprised if the people I'd meet at the hostel would be much more fun and interesting than anyone I'll meet at the conference. Sad, but true.
Galveston
I haven't been to Galveston in a quarter of a century, so it's probably an exotic locale again for me. For example, I've never even heard of Moody Gardens.
My Girl Scout troop used to camp at Galveston State Park, which was way cooler than some Girl Scout camp because it had boys in it. This is where I learned to make a broom by tying plants together. And this is also where I learned (the hard way) that "charcoal" can mean burned wood as well as those briquets that come in a bag.
I'm not a big beach person except in winter, when it's quiet and empty. I once collected a lot of broken sand dollars in Galveston. I still have that collection in a decorative glass container. If I were to decide to get rid of this, it might be fun to put the sand dollar pieces back on the same beach for others to find.
Logistics
Last time I attended the TXDLA conference, it was in San Antonio, and I took a bus almost right from my house to the conference. I stayed in a budget hotel just a few blocks away.
This time, things will be different. The bus station is nowhere near the conference. It's too close to fly (especially since flying sucks, sucks, sucks nowadays). So I'm driving. Google Maps says it will take only 3.5 hours. Ha! I always think of Houston as being 200 miles and thus four hours away, and to get to Galveston you have to go all the way through Houston. But Google Maps claims it's still only 205 miles. Anyway, it's close enough for driving.
Once again, the hotel at the conference is pricy: $135 + tax per night. Also, it's full. Here are some other possible options I've discovered:
* Inn at the Waterpark, the cheapest overflow location - $59 (+ tax?). I don't need to be nearby because I'll have a car. It also has a free breakfast that I don't need because all my meals are already paid for.
* Motel 6, a few miles away - $38 + tax
* HI (Hostel International) Galveston, about 6 miles down the beach - $18.50 + tax + $28/year membership + long distance call to make reservation, open 24 hours, all ages allowed
* Galveston Island State Park, about 10 miles down the beach in the other direction - $15, $20, or $25/ night, but the gate is open only 8am-10pm, so that's no good
I stayed in a hostel once before and it was a fabulous experience. It was super cheap. It was easy walking distance to the conference center, so I didn't need a rental car. We had to do a chore--I swept in the morning before anyone got up. Staples were provided in the kitchen. And there were interesting people from all over the world staying there. I didn't talk to any of them, but they talked to each other in my presence.
Now I have better social skills. This place is apparently a hotel that sticks bunk beds in the rooms for hostelers. There's no food, but there is a kitchen, and there are no chores. There's free internet in the lounge area. There's a swimming pool, patios, and it's right on the beach. And it's no big deal that I'd be sharing a room with a bunch of people of the same gender - my boyfriend is not coming with me, I don't snore (at least not loudly), and I can sleep through all kinds of noise. I'm thinking of calling them and finding out more. If that doesn't sound good, I'm thinking of just going with the Inn at the Waterpark.
Career Preparation
I should make a plan to get more out of the conference this time. Last time I learned that UT System had jobs I wanted and I learned that most people attending were teachers who had become the techies of their school or district and moved into computer jobs.
This time I volunteered to help with registration. This is probably a good way to get to know some people.
I could also make contributions to the event blog (which is currently down).
I've been reading in how-to-network advice that I should ask people how they got their jobs and how they'd recommend that I prepare for a job in this field.
I should try to think of some more strategies. Hanging out alone on the beach at my hostel is probably not the best way to go, here. On the other hand, I wouldn't be surprised if the people I'd meet at the hostel would be much more fun and interesting than anyone I'll meet at the conference. Sad, but true.