Just had to post this funny shot of PITA sucking down Bai.

Since the earliest you could even grab your badges was 3pm, PITA and I ate and sat by the pool – did you think I was gonna work?  One thing I can’t get over is the crazy wind out here – it’s cooler than Chicago (weather-wise) and there’s a wind that seems constant, at times gusting enough to whip lounge cushions onto the deck!  DH’s comment when he saw PITA: Her suit’s too small.  Fathers don’t appreciate bikinis on daughters…good thing she didn’t bring the thong…

Well, now for the second of this year’s blogging conventions, the original BlogHer which started all the mad dashing around:  This year’s BlogHer16 is being held on August 4-6 in Los Angeles, which is rather too far a drive even for me.  PITA and I are leaving this afternoon so we’ll arrive the night before the chattering hordes descend and stay over Sunday night for the same reason.  And also, if I’m being even partially honest, to grab as much stuff from the swag swap suite.

As with our whirlwind tour at BloggerBash in NYC last month, I’ll be offering live tweets for your entertainment – click on the little birdie and you’ll see the latest and greatest and quite often what will be heading to the stores in time for Holiday Shopping (Hasbro has a line of figures coming out based on the upcoming Dreamworks Trolls movie for example and we’re supposed to find them in our rooms – yay! – free stuff delivered!).

A proposed settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit about the packaging of the following TRESemmé Naturals products: Nourishing Moisture Shampoo, Nourishing Moisture Conditioner, Radiant Volume Shampoo, Radiant Volume Conditioner, Vibrantly Smooth Shampoo, and Vibrantly Smooth Conditioner which are collectively called the “Products.” The plaintiffs in the lawsuit assert that the Products’ packaging falsely indicated they were natural. Defendant Conopco, Inc., d/b/a as Unilever, denies all the plaintiffs’ allegations and is entering into this settlement, among other reasons, to avoid burdensome and costly litigation. The settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing.  You can claim up to ten bottles without receipts (I don’t keep mine, unfortunately, even though I’ve bought tons of these).  Click here.

Following the conference, The Majesty was supposed to cruise the harbor while the drinks and river both flowed.  This was the view from the windows shortly before launch!

But miraculously, the sky cleared, a very hot sun came out and a good time was had by all.  How on earth can they top this for Blogger Bash 2017???

Some of the booths from Day 2 – – lots more left out, btw!  Disney has a whole division launching just for pets!  Really cute food/water bowls, beds and more.  Best part of the beds (other than their cuteness) is that they go into the washer and dryer completely.

Fasta Pasta is something that looks like a timesaver since it’s not just for pasta, but veggies, etc.  I got the family size model, but haven’t tried it yet…I cant wait!

I ate bugs!  On the face of it, there’s really no reason why we don’t eat insects, other than the ick factor, so I first tried a cookie – that’s pretty safe, right?  Cookie seemed okay, but I ate a couple more just to be sure.  Then I went for the actual roasted cricket mix.  You really only taste the seasoning, since crickets are taste-neutral.  which is something i never thought i’d be using in a sentence.  Amazon link here.

Thinkaboutyoureyes used virtual reality to show how a classroom appears to someone with glaucoma, near-sightedness and a few other vision issues.  You have gloves to help you pick up items in the classroom.  Pretty freaky!

Blogger Bash is different from other blogging conferences in that it is designed for bloggers who are experienced and have already nailed down the basics.  Fewer attendees who are “thinking about starting a blog” and yes, that’s always a significant percentage at some conferences!

So PITA and I headed over to the third annual Blogger Bash on board the Majesty Yacht in New York City.  The boat was docked during the conference, but took a two-hour cruise upon its completion.  Nice part about being docked the entire time was you could come and go as you pleased.  Now that the basics are out of the way, let’s get to the good stuff!

Each of the three levels had unlimited food and drink – second floor was seafood!

PITA in a giant bubble! Here she is holding Dorothy and Toto from Madame Alexander.

Super Wings Transforming Characters.  A cartoon show on TV about these planes, etc., that change into other things.  They’re cute, extremely popular and not geared towards me at all!  Here’s an entire page of ’em on Amazon.

Lots more adult booths, too  – – well, Adam and Eve was there, but I actually meant things like skincare, oils and aroma diffusers!  Here’s the big Box of Swag that was delivered a day after we returned home

  Pay as little as $24!  I have two pairs that were $38 (and I thought that was a great price!).  Really easy to order and they stand behind their product 100%.

Whoa, 2½ hours of Beatles music, singing and dancing (sorry, folks behind us) which means I should be really sore today, but it hasn’t yet hit.  If you’ve never heard of American English, they’re a Beatles tribute band who change costumes to reflect the albums and years.  Keep in mind I win Worst Photographer of the Year every year. This first shot is from the early years – She Loves You era.

Here we’ve moved into Sargent Pepper, although you’ll hear Magical Mystery songs as well.

We’re talking Abbey Road and the White Album now.  We got Back in the USSR, Revolution and everything in between.  Encore was Hey Jude.

During this last segment, “John” actually came through the audience!  I wasn’t paying close enough attention and it was dark, so this photo is even worse than my usual exercise in futility.