My NABJ Convention Recap!

I came home with 102 business cards.

I lost my voice on the second night of the convention.

I threw a pre-convention Meet & Greet and co-sponsored a convention after party last Saturday night. If any NABJ babies are a direct result of either of these activities, I would like some consideration when naming your first-born son.

I must say that the phrase my boy Darren Sands coined "less weave, more cleave" was in full effect in Atlanta. I have never seen so many gorgeous women in one location in my life. I felt like I walked into a candy shop and I did not know how to satisfy my sweet tooth!

I have at least 100 stories that I can tell from my experience (you'll have to buy the autobiography for that). I decided to share one good and one bad moment. So, what was your best convention encounter? what about your worst?

Situation 1: I got hit on by a 41-year-old, light-skinned, Atlanta woman at the hotel bar. She whispered this tired guy line in my ear. "It is my birthday. Would you like to celebrate it with me?" she said. She winked at me and I raised my eyebrows. Yeah, she gave me every indication she was looking for a few free drinks. I told her that I was 25 years old. She didn't believe me. I pulled out my N.J. license, showed her the mug shot and now my word was bond. I felt flattered that I caught the eye of an older woman and made sure that I got her business card before I left. Why? Just in case "Stella" wants to get her groove back in one of my future visits to Atlanta. For those reasons and a few more X-rated whispers into my ear, "Stella" was a first-ballot inductee into my NABJ Hall of Fame.

Situation 2: I laid the ground work before I even came to the convention. I took her out the weekend before the convention started to a place that she picked. We had dinner, we had engaging conversation, we even went to an ice cream parlor for dessert. I insisted that I would pay for dinner and she paid for the ice cream. I felt I had a checkered flag for Altanta. We get to the 404 and it was a whole 'nother mother. I experienced constant cell phone tag, some haughtiness and she had the nerve to leave me sitting at a table saying "I'm going to the bathroom, I'll be right back." Well, "Cinderella" never came back to get her slipper (or in this case her glass of red wine) and this homie does not play that. As I'm leaving the ballroom, I noticed that she was taking pictures with some dude and then she left the hotel with him. She calls me on my cell phone 15 minutes later. I did not answer. She left a voicemail with another tired guy line "I came back looking for you and I didn't see you so I just left.'' I graduated from high school in 1997 and I stopped playing high school games eight years ago. If she wanted to bounce all she had to do is say so. NABJ conventions are dominated by women to the tune of 65% women and 35% men. So ladies GET OVER yourselves. For those efforts and so much more later in the week, "Cinderella" was a first-ballot inductee into my NABJ Hall of Shame.