I’m attending a blogging conference in a couple of weeks to learn more about the back end (I almost wrote backside) of blogging and creative writing. The best part will be meeting some of the great people I’ve spoken with online. I’ve done this a few times now – met people in real life after interacting only online – and it’s fun once you get past the initial “oh-my-goodness-I-have-to-speak-extemporaneously” freak-out.

Lindsey, Nish, and I in Bolivia

I’ve also learned that avatars don’t really help you recognize people. I mean, after all, they’re so small and, well, two-dimensional. It never ceases to amaze me how photos can be so like and yet so very unlike the real thing.

Since I know this is true, and since I’ll be meeting some of you soon, and since it’s life: unmasked day here at the blog, I give you ten random things about me in real life.

10. I have a red hard plastic shell for my laptop and a keyboard cover because I am the biggest klutz and I scratch, dent, spill, and drop things near computers all the time.

9. I get cold, and conference rooms are notoriously cold. If you look for me at a conference, you’ll probably find me huddled around my laptop for warmth wearing a big sweatshirt.

8. Or… I might be wearing layers to cover a spill. My clothes usually have a stain on them somewhere… because I am a klutz.

7. Clothes must first of all be comfortable. That is my first fashion priority. And since traveling gets my digestive system all confused and disoriented, I pack and wear comfortable clothes whenever possible.

6. I’m not afraid to ask questions. Not even in large groups.I consider it a spiritual gift – breaking the ice.

5. I have a purple feather in my hair. Or two. Or three. (I know this is super-popular with the little girl, but it’s cheaper, faster, and less permanent than hair dye. And I just had a hankering for some color.) They are small. They play peek-a-boo.

4. Sometimes women’s conferences make me a little stir-crazy. I don’t have a high tolerance for cheese, small boxes for large complex issues, or generalizations about women.

3. I won’t attend every session. I learned last year that attending everything wore me out. Plus, sometimes it’s more important to have a long sit-down with a friend or take a nap.

2. I love my morning coffee. Especially when the weather turns cold. I can’t drink regular coffee after about 4pm though, or I can’t sleep at night.

1. Breakfast is my favorite meal. Scratch that. Every meal is my favorite. I love food, especially flavor-rich food. Grab some Mexican or Indian with me?

Welcome to life: unmasked, a blog link-up for bloggers willing to get real, take off our masks, and show how we are finding God (or how God is finding us) in the mess of everyday life.

Will you join us? (Fellow conference goers, if you’ve written a ten-things post, feel free to link up here too.)

It’s very simple. Write a post (or just share some photos or a video — be creative!). Grab the life: unmasked graphic (copy the code for it from my left sidebar) for your post. Next, share the link to your specific post (not just the general link to your blog) in the linky tool below, or if you don’t blog, share your story in the comments.

Please visit at least two other posts (maybe the one directly in front of you in the linky-list?), and leave them an encouraging comment. If you tweet, use the hashtag #lifeunmasked so we can find you there, too.

Let’s build an unmasked community, a safe place to be real with one another.

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Sponsor a child in Bolivia with World Vision

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