Hey there. I just got back from a work conference and a week of actual vacation. No, really. I went on vacation and didn't think about work or perform any chores on visits. The ISTE conference was in Philadelphia. You know what that means right, Reading Market. Did you think I was going to say cheesesteaks? I'm partial to keeping a regular schedule so I skipped the cheesesteaks. For the last 20 something years I've only known the convention center in Philly as a series of never ending volleyball courts. To see it as exhibit halls and learning spaces was kind of strange. No head on a swivel, no nets to trip on and no rando Cheese-Its for me to steal (story for another time).
There were adorable grade school kids from Australia demoing and teaching us the things they learned in their project, among them: robotics, coding, empathy, and problem solving. They had Tim Tams and a little Koala clip. I'm sure they had a blast in their free time. I did all the usual convention things, spoke with peers, shared ideas, ran away from vendors, and learned so much how to help people better.
My teammate from Fisher who is in the HoF, BTW lives in Philly so we hung out, caught up, and had dinner at Cry Baby Pasta. Good teammates like Erin, just kind of pick up the chat like we just had practice yesterday. We mostly talked about current events in our lives, like how she loves living in the city, and how I love living in Seattle. She stopped a few times to make sure the pup was okay because apparently amateur fireworks are not just limited to the Seattleites in Capitol Hill ( I still don't know which spelling is correct-shrugs-).
My flight home was unpleasant in that Delta rerouted me through 2 cities Atlanta, and Vegas since my flight to Detroit was delayed. This was 10am. I got my meal voucher at 3pm (time change). That was in Vegas (Fricken Vegas, ask me about the time a drunk man proposed on the plane to me and the flight attendant just nodded). I grabbed a quick bite and wandered a bit. I did play the slots and won something for my trouble. Enough that I feel the universe nodded and said, "my bad". That's not even the highlight of this trip.
Remember Erin? She's famous, at least in my mind for her accent. I giggle something fierce every time she says, "water". It's been probably 10 or years since I saw Erin last. I brace for that bone crushing hug, and she waits for me to tap out. When I say bone crushing, I mean she presses her full weight into your sternum and just squeezes the air out of your lungs. Use your inhaler, Bou, crap I left it at the hotel. We sit, and as soon as the server comes by, I'm already laughing. I'm thinking of jokes and riddles so I can hear her say "water". She pronounces it so that it rhymes with otter. I miss it so much. Thanks for entertaining an old friend, Erin! See you again soon, buddy.
