Trying my hand at photosynths. After two test runs, this was my first real attempt.

Oh look! That's where i left my blog. I've been looking for it for evar! I must keep better track of my things.

Yeah, i'm a geek.

Day One

In which our hero braves the challenges of mother nature.

I registered for this conference nearly 4 months ago. I booked my flights at the same time. Sunday it was sunny and 75 degrees. Tuesday, when i'm supposed to fly to Vegas, we get 11 inches of snow.

Watching the airport update page, i'm watching flight after flight get canceled. Mine still shows on time. I figure they just haven't gotten that far down the list yet. Still, i'd better pack.
about 3 hours before my flight... still on time.
it looks like a blizzard outside.

I dutifully head out for the airport. The snow is supposed to stop at 5ish, and my flight isnt til 5:45.

How did i not expect the highways to be a parking lot? I sit in crawling traffic 4EVAR before deciding to ditch the interstate, and head in the backway up Nat. Bridge. This is mostly an improvement in speed, but the roads are way way worse. then nearer the airport, it's a parking lot too.

Somehow, i manage to get to the airport with 45 min to spare before my flight. Get checked in, check my bag, security, where for the first time i have to remove my belt as well. Get repacked and redressed after the stripshow they call security. Find my gate, realize i havent eaten anything but a doughnut and a PBJ sandwich today, and grab a personal pizza from wolfgang pucks for the bargain price of $10.

I feel sorry for the throngs of people on standby. Somehow, my flight is the first one out all day to DFW and Vegas.

The flight was mostly uneventful, we changed planes in DFW, which is an odd airport, but pretty cool. Grab some starbucks and get back on board.

The view out the window was very cool. it was clear, but there was no moon, so aside from the lights of the stars and cities and cars on the roads, it was pitch black. i couldnt make out any surface features. The pilot informed us that that bundle of lights was Flagstaff, and that glow off in the distance was Phoenix. I spotted the Hoover dam, and we're in vegas.

The slot machines just outside the gate set the mood. I catch a cab with a young russian driver, and the trip takes much longer than i would have suspected from the aerial view on Google Maps.

The Wynn is nicer than anyplace i've ever been before. I now understand why some people thing that really tacky is nice, they're trying for the opulence of this sort of place. Where most places i'd think the decor like this would come across tacky, the quality and detail here make the difference.

I check into my room that is bigger than my first apartment. Heck, i think the bathroom is bigger than my current bedroom. A quick shower to freshen up and i head back down to see what's to see, and try to grab a real meal. it's 11:00 local time. 1am to my internal clock.




Within 5 minutes of wandering down the hallway looking to see what's what, an attractive, well dressed, asian girl with no accent starts to chat me up, am i lost, am i staying here, and then the game is up, would i be interested in some company? I could see how the unaware could wind up very quickly getting taken. I mean, who wouldnt like some company, especially from this hot chick, but that's not on my agenda or in my budget.

I wander on, checking out the Wynn, then venturing outside to the slightly chilly vegas night. The mountain outside the Wynn isnt as flashy as the fountians at the Bellagio, or the Pirate ship at Treasure Island, but to build a forest mountain with huge waterfalls in the desert, is really just fantastic.

Wandering up the strip, i pass the Palazzo, which looks not quite finished, i think it's the expansion of the Venetian, and a handful of other casinos, ranging from scary low end to high class, the Flamingo, the Casino Royale, Harrah's, etc.. wondering where i should get some food, and what should appear from behind a building as i cross a street? Denny's!

Well fed with a Moons over My Hammy, i drop a couple bucks in slots up and down the street and head back home. Passing the Venetian a second time, a really cute, well dressed blonde, who seemed to be just loitering outside the hotel makes eye contact with me and tries to chat me up. This game again? I decline and head home. Finally i crawl in bed at 2am (internal clock says 4) and get some much needed sleep.

Bags are packed and i'm ready to go...

Well not quite packed yet, but i am in fact leavin on a jet plane.

I think I've finally nailed down my plans. Tuesday afternoon I'm flying to Vegas for a conference on social media and corporate communications, which should be more fun than it sounds. Since I'm not generally inclined to gamble too much, I've got tix lined up for Penn & Teller on Wed. night and the Cirque du Solei/Beatles - Love show on Thurs. night. I should be able to fit some old fashioned touristy gawking in there too. Gotta get down to Fremont St. for a little while.

Then post-conference, and post-the post conference session i'm attending, off to pick up the rental car and head off into the wilderness. I'm avoiding the obvious direct I-15 route to San Diego, opting instead for a back road jaunt through the desert. This decision was cemented when i realized that Friday night is a New Moon, so I'm expecting to see.. I'm not sure what I'm expecting to see really.. i know that they have more stars out there than in the midwest, and the sky is bigger. Regardless, i'm hauling a ass-ton of camera equipment with me, so i should bring home some good pictures of whatever it is i find out there.

After a quick night stop in TwentyNine Palms, CA, i'll see if i can be discplined enough to follow through with my plan to wake pre-dawn, and head out to Joshua Tree Natl. Park, or some other part of the wilderness around there, and get photos of sunrise in the desert. That's the plan at least, we'll see how it actually goes. Then off like a prom dress to San Diego, to visit Letterboy. This is part of the trip i have the least figured out. I'm promised the best tacos i've ever had, i get to go see Letterboy's band play, and .... who knows what else. The boring end of this is flying home Monday afternoon.

Somewhere in this mess, i feel i should make a point of trying the regional fast food goodness that is often mentioned in tv/movies, so i need to keep my eye open for Fatburgers and In and Out Burgers. If i had more time, i'd venture up to LA, and find Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles, but that will have to wait for another trip. Actually, now that i think about it, it's funny to me that one of the only specific things i want to see in LA is Roscoe's....

Whenever i feel unsure of myself, or insecure about my ability to do my job, all i need to do is go to a professional development luncheon. It's sure to make me feel better about myself.

Just like starting over...

New year, new job, new blog.
Just a little bit of clearing the cobwebs from the corners, a fresh coat of paint, and we're almost ready.