Atlanta in August – hot, humid, and sticky.

It had been seven years since I had attended the American Sociological Association’s annual meeting. I had been finishing up my PhD and planned to join the ranks of the tenure-track – the annual conference was mysterious and terrifying. Since then, my life has taken a very different path. I finished my PhD in 2004 and was pregnant within the month. The following year I was offered a high-powered academic dean position and turned my back on tenure-track.

In the last few weeks, I had been surprised to find myself filled with excitement and dread…

Inspired by the connections I had made through blogging and by what I had read about unconferences and underconferences [2], I was determined to make ASA 2010 enjoyable.

Here’s my story:

• thursday, august 12. spent the afternoon e-mailing people I planned to see at ASA [3] and SWS [4], and started following #ASA2010 [5] on Twitter.. encouraged by clever tweets from @emiledurkheim [6] and @talcottparsons [7]… worried after reading more than one comment on the social awkwardness of sociologists…

• friday, august 13. checked into the marriott marquis [8] – a working parent’s oasis:- a clean, quiet, climate-controlled hotel room with cable tv – in stark contrast to my noisy, hot, messy old Greek Revival in Boston – a twinge of guilt passed quickly – headed to Aurora Coffee [9] – me, Dorothy Parker, and a steaming cup of mocha- P.J. Harvey playing in the background- bliss.

• saturday, august 14. began the day with a trip to the hotel’s starbucks and then back to my room to work on my two presentations. after a few hours, a couple of additional trips to starbucks, and a lunch break with my IHE editor, I had finished prepping for the presentations. treated myself with Street Fighter II: The Legend of Chun-Li followed by a guilt-ridden call to the family. that night at the sociology of education dinner [10]- conversations on college access and the problem with boys and schools. graduate students concerned with the recent buzz – 30 positions for 400 recent PhDs …

• sunday, august 15. presented on the disconnect between curriculum and mission statements as part of a roundtable-- fantastic group of higher ed scholars whose work ranged from financing models to online instruction and curriculum reform. called home - 5 year-old son refused to talk to me! later, at the SWS reception [11], met many fabulous women and ended up at a table with Judith Lorber [12]!– icon of feminist sociology –she recommended I move to NYC for my career, take my son with me, leave my husband behind in Boston, and start a commuter marriage – we playfully agreed to disagree as I devoured a delicious piece of chocolate torte…

• monday, august 16. met with Jessie Daniels [13]. I was nervous - she is a rockstar! – an inspiration in so many ways –first-generation working-class feminist from Texas, cyber-racism scholar, and social media diva. She sent me a message at the start of ASA and I was thrilled to meet her! that afternoon I presented on the process of reading comic books and as I was leaving the ballroom, manga scholar, Casey Brienza [14] came hurrying in. we had already “met” on Twitter [15] and hit it off immediately. had an intense and very long conversation on comics, manga publishing, sociology, mentoring, race, and life. By the time I looked at my watch, it was 8pm - quick call home – too late – in bed for the night. back in the hotel room; fell asleep while watching true blood [16] …

• tuesday, august 17. up early for southern scramble [17] and a Dali exhibit [18]. leaving the museum, I noticed that I had 2 missed calls – one from my son’s teacher – “he is sick and I can’t reach your husband” - feeling of dread...called the school – talked to my son – told him I would be home for dinner and a few hours later, he ran to greet me when I arrived at the airport. Home!

When confronted with a 326-page program offering over 600 sessions, moderation becomes a necessity. In the past, I have tried to cram in as many sessions and workshops as possible, leaving little time for meaningful conversations. This time, I did it differently. With the help of social media and some strategic planning, I was able to multi-task my way through #ASA2010. The conference became a collage – equal parts professional development, networking, and vacation.

#ASA2010 had been a success! I left with new friends and ideas, and a lengthy to-do list.

Mary Churchill is the Executive Director of University of Venus [19]..