*sniff*

Just gotta say this before I drag my sorry self off to bed.

There are few places on this beautiful planet that I am less suited for than Las Vegas, Nev. I thrive in cool, green, misty climes. I need to see green, like real trees. Palms don't make the cut. I have a passionate dislike of sweltering, scorching heat. I don’t enjoy great crowds of people and I heartily despise noisy, chaotic, mind-rattling environments such as those that jam Las Vegas.

That’s just me. Those of you who like such places are welcome to them.

And yet I would absolutely love to be on my way to Las Vegas, first thing tomorrow morning, just so I could attend all three heady days of Yearly Kos.

Imagine my devastation when, upon sitting down with checkbook and stubby pencil a few weeks back, I had to accept the sad fact that the ol’ bank account just wasn’t going to stretch to accommodate my deep yearning to attend.

But rest assured that I am already putting aside pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters toward next year’s Yearly Kos. And it won’t matter where it is, either. New York City? Another non-Wren place. No matter, I'll go.

And why, you ask? Not only is the Yearly Kos speaker line-up stellar -- Joe Wilson! Murray Waas! Christy Hardin Smith! – the discussion subjects on the schedule are as tempting and heady as ambrosia. Some of my favorite bloggers will be there, too – Tbogg, Atrios, Lance Mannion, and Kos hisself, of course.

Sigh.

I guess I'll survive missing Yearly Kos this time. Mr. Wren has solemnly promised me he'll do his darndest to videotape any coverage that pops up on CSPAN, and I'm planning to read all the promised posts from those lucky folks who'll be there, blogging the event without me. I'll get my Yearly Kos fix vicariously.

In the meantime, I wish all of you who did get to go a wonderful and enlightening three days. Learn lots and please do pass what you learn on to the rest of us. And enjoy all that buffet food.

Next year, Blue Wren is going to Yearly Kos, even if she has to hitchhike all the way.