Kind of sounds like when you were first starting on this journey, where everyone had THE answer before they knew what the question was. Pity the people who are dazed and confused by the hucksters and promoters. How do they know where the truth will come from, or how to recognize it when the hear it? :(

Wow. I hate conferences too but it's because I'm an introvert.

It's okay. Turns out I was mostly just hangry.

I've had dinner now, my companions were nice and only very minimally promotional, and now that everything's closed up for the night one of the conference organizers is going to let me into the secret warehouse-delivery room that only conference organizers get to go in. They have sworn up and down my boxes are not in there, but have yet to let me inside to check for myself, and this guy has decided I'm trustworthy enough. So with any luck my boxes will be in there after all. (Right where they were supposed to be the whole time, but that's a different rant.)

Deep breaths and fingers crossed and maybe some booze from the hotel bar afterwards.

I don't know why, but, that struck me as very funny.

Go have have a Snickers.

Been to a couple TBI conferences that were similar. avoid them - make yourself an official looking badge, wear it and go into the CME's - no one "really cares" who attends which event. Mumble mumble Dr. Clod here ... TBI, DAI & BFT mumble mumble...

Anon, the CME criteria are to keep out those just hawking their wares. You too found those people to be intolerably irritating (to borrow a phrase). The medical community; however, always has exceptions to policy for those who warrant them. You just need a sponsor, a physician who will send you as their representative since they don't have time to attend every conference of interest.

Consider asking your children's doctor to sponsor your attendance at no cost to their practice. Do it formally, in writing, assuring him/her that you'd audit the CME presentations for updates relevant to the doctor's practice, examples of developments you can direct other parents to physicians for during the course of your book interviews, and information that may put your experiences into more broadly appealing context to promote"awareness" (thanks, UT) in possible future revisions of your book.

NOTE: ALWAYS keep such requests in the context of advancing the mission, in this case dissemination of information for medical professionals, not about you and your personal interests except as an aside. END NOTE.

Assure your potential sponsor that you won't use the CME conference as a sales platform, soapbox for your opinions; or, critiquing other's work.

Assure your potential sponsor that you will do all the leg work insofar as the attendee application and registration fee so all the doctor's practice has to do is sign it, fax it; or, click on submit.

If it's your children's doctor, it wouldn't hurt to give the doc a complimentary copy of your book, with a personal inscription of appreciation, well in advance of any request for sponsorship to establish yourself as a public interface on the subject; but, not have it seen as a bribe.

I've been granted multiple exceptions to policy, including from the American College of Surgeons to attend Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) which is used to qualify physicians (prerequisite) to work in emergency rooms. I didn't just audit it, I tested and passed to physician standards. The exception to policy was granted to those like me (military spec. ops.) because we'd be doing trauma management in places where physicians couldn't go. The key to obtaining such exceptions is to present yourself as a generic physician extender (not to be confused with a PA) in areas where physicians can use a bridge (in your case public awareness) to their advantage. It does require persistence and decorum.

Good luck.

Excellent advice, sexo!


Sent by thought transference

That's why he's so successful at stirring shit, he knows what he's talking about. :haha:

Attempted kidnapping at the end of my street. Not a custody situation, a "Two men luring 10-year-old girls into their van" situation. The girls were smart enough to run away, thank God. No fucking way my kids would have.

argh!

Did they catch the guys?

Nope. They know it was a silver van, and they've jacked up police presence in the neighborhood, so I'm sure the fuckers will move on to prowling a different subdivision. This isn't even the first instance since we've lived here--a guy (different? same? who knows) tried to get a kid into a car with him about 4-5 years ago, right outside the school. I don't know if it's because it's a nice neighborhood where the kids are outside a fair amount, or because everyone's close enough that word spreads quickly among the neighbors, but Jesus. It's not a fun time to be a registered sex offender living within a 10-mile radius of this place right now, that's for sure. I bet every one of them is getting checked in on every day.

That's terrifying to think about.

I may post more about this later...but, just want to say something.

Mu brother's family dog (all of us family especially my dad) had to be put to sleep today. We all spent the afternoon with him yesterday. We are all devastated. And not just us, the extensive community of brother and sister in law and nieces' friends all loved him too.

He was a big sweet smart golden retriever. He was a therapy dog and would go to nursing homes and there would be a circle of wheelchairs around him. He just wanted to love and be loved.

Im so sad about so many things. RIP Jack, you were the dog of dogs...the best ever.

I'm so sorry Infi. But glad for you that you had him in your life for the time that you did.