I came without companion or acquaintance, the familiar path of finding one kindred soul and clinging to them never showed itself. Once I realized I could either melt into the shadowy corners or step forward and make something out of this time away from home, a new gear opened. I stared down the paneled rooms with their showy chandeliers and rose to stand to all of my five feet ten inches and walked straight into the experience. These events are dizzying by necessity; sessions scheduled back-to-back, professional suitors inserting themselves between panel and bathroom, coffee and break-out session. The air was charged with an excitement, but every so often I could feel a crackle of something else, ferocity? The collision of so many aspirations…

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