The next J Street conference runs from February 26 to March 1 in Washington, DC. I won't be there, alas. My sweet 15-month-old doesn't travel especially well (he enjoys new adventures but doesn't really sleep when we're on the road, which isn't good for anyone.) Because of some other travel on my schedule and his dad's schedule this month -- including our upcoming mini-vacation, about which more in a few days! -- I wasn't able to make the decision to leave Drew at home and attend J Street on my own.

So while y'all are talking about Israel and the Palestinians, how American Jews and Muslims can work together for peace, democracy movements in the Arab world, the revival of the Israeli left, and more, I'll be doing my usual round of babycare, with occasional forays into Torah study and poetry, and spending my evenings curled up on the couch with my sweetie catching up on episodes of Top Chef and Fringe.

I'm bummed to miss the conference -- both the workshops and discussions, which I imagine will be excellent, and the opportunity for creating and celebrating community. I blogged more than 30,000 words at the last J Street conference (here's a link to my roundup of JStreet conference posts) and found it a thought-provoking and valuable experience all around. I hope that some of the folks who are attending this year's conference will blog about their experiences so that we who aren't there in person can get a taste for what it's like.

To those who are attending, I wish you safe travels and a meaningful experience! Tell us all about it when you get home, if not before.