Last year I was grumpy while attending Gnomedex: a combination of not enough sleep and not enough to eat in the morning combined with not very interactive sessions involving already-eminent people (or people from already-eminent companies) talking at us lecture-style. I hear this year will be different, but I'm not attending this time.
I'm in downtown Seattle now for Drupal Camp Seattle 2006, which has two tracks, one for introductory sessions and another for advanced hacking. Some of my Bryght colleagues are here too. I'm a little nervous about this as with any conference: I didn't do enough planning yet again, and I'm worried that I'm not going to get a lot out of it. Some friends with whom I've discussed this tell me it's not about what I get out of it or what others get out of it from me, but just to enjoy the experience of being in another city for a few days. I'm either paraphrasing badly or not remembering what they told me. Anyway, I wish I was better at this kind of thing, better able to enjoy meeting new people in an unknown environment.
Jen had a great comment a month or so ago about my situation that I'll try to keep in mind: “The only suggestion I have for the introvert is to just start speaking. If interrupting is the status quo, don't be afraid to do it yourself. It takes some practice and time to build confidence, but it does get easier. Just be sure to schedule some decompressing "alone time" shortly thereafter.”