My non-BlogHer loot, or why it pays to make friends with people who have friends who work at Chanel

One of the unexpected benefits to blogging is the friends you make. I know so many women who started blogging with the idea of joining a community, but when I started, I saw it as a way for me to torment the internet with my drivel. And of course, it is.

But I've made more friends than I've believed possible. In fact, I've made more dear friends from blogging than I ever did from volunteering at my kids' schools, serving on non-profit boards, or joining gyms.

(OK, that last part was kind of a joke, because who makes friends at the gym? Not I.)

Who'd have thought that by holing up with my laptop, I'd meet so many wonderful people? People who do things like send me this:

See, blackbird has a good friend at Chanel. A Chanel Connection. And the loot can be a little overwhelming to a very small bird, so when we got together at BlogHer, bird presented me with the overload:

• A refillable purse spray of Chanel No. 5 Eau de Toilette, plus two refills
• Two eye pencils, in Le Crayon Khol in Marine and Le Crayon Yeux in Seafoam
• Two Glossimers in Sunset Gold and Pin-Up
• Nail polish in Lilac Sky
• Eye Makeup Remover
• Three mascaras: Extracils in Brun, Mascara Volume Intense in Smoky Marine, and Inimitable in Brun Noir
• Two AquaLumiere lipsticks in Waikiki and Monte-Carlo
• and a Rouge Allure in Intuitive

In a word? Squee!