In the days before Lotusphere
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Some strange things start to happen when you've been going - as a Business Partner, speaker, attendee - for as many years as I have (12). First off, you receive BCC invitations from IBMers to come to somewhat-remotely-interesting-roundtable-with-lunch things. Ostensibly, I am being courted for my intellect and genuine feedback on a product direction, UI, or something of the sort with the recompense of a slightly-better-than-the-tent plate of food. Or a muffin, which happened one Lotusphere a few years back. Invitations start to appear left and right once you're on a few lists. I'm holding out on some other plans for the coveted "iris" reception invitation, always a good time.
Next among the strange things is the level of activity coming out of your sometimes remote contacts at IBM. All of a sudden you are a rock star (oh yeah...) if you can do just this one thing in your session, or help by blogging about this or that, or "are you live blogging..."? Depends on the connections, I say. They have to be quicker than before. It was "dead blogging" last time I tried.
Customers who have left you alone since last May have just come back refreshed from the holidays, and in their New Years' Resolution of cleaning their rolodex have come across your name. Cool! Not. I got an email from one such customer whose IT department never followed through on our instructions and now it's critical that they implement...so can we have a couple conference calls THIS WEEK PLEASE??? Grrrrrrrrrrrr.
A giant weight is lifted from my back when the third and final presentation is uploaded. It has the appearance of being done. It has a start, some content, and a finish. It ends. It has fun new disclaimers so nobody will steal it and use it with their customers, passing it (and our code examples) off as being their own. Wow, did I say that out loud? That would never happen (cough, 2002, cough). Is it final? Doubt it. I'll think of something extremely cool and valuable an hour before the session and put it in. Viktor will look at me funny when he sees the new slide, and realizes he has to code a demo before I switch the screen over to him.
Speaking of giant weights and backs, this year I'll be hobbling a little more slowly from session to session. No more mad dashes from Dolphin N Hem IV to Swam 10 in 15 minutes (thanks for that last year Chris Reckling!). Yeah, bad disc is poking out into my spinal cord and causing my leg to be in constant pain. Three shots in the spine so far and now a post-Lotusphere appointment with my old buddy the neurosurgeon. Hopped up on codeine and, well, better codeine pretty much constantly, so we'll just have to see how funny my session shtick is with Viktor.
A few days prior to Lotusphere, I take a break from all things work for a few hours at least. It was my lovely wife's 40th birthday yesterday, the 17th. Her parents just didn't plan that very well. We have a very nice dinner at Piropos. Go home. Watch Top Chef. Don't look at BlackBerry for a few hours. Then look. Damn. OK midnight. Sadly, birthday is over.
The day before leaving - today - there is always one more demo, one more slide. Two more conference calls. One more super-cool toolkit I'd like to include. Oh well, I have some time on Saturday...no wait, I won't. Penumbra meeting, annual dinner at Fulton's for 75 of my closest friends and enemies. People I hope remember me, and I hope I can remember while on the pain killers.
Sunday - two sessions, one is my favorite nontechnical session of the year where I get to teach BPs how to sell, how to deal with CEOs, and how to write proposals that don't stink. I have a lot of fun with that one. Another session in a supporting role, either showing off or filling time. We'll see.
Monday - OGS. Opening General Session. We learn new words, see new stuff, and a surprise or two. Viktor and Troy's QuickPlace session, with some cool news and an announcement.
Tuesday - The Great Code Giveaway. Be there. Repeats Thursday if you aren't. I will hunt you down if you don't go.
That's as far as I can think ahead. Back to work. There's a cool toolkit I can squeeze in if I skip lunch...
Some strange things start to happen when you've been going - as a Business Partner, speaker, attendee - for as many years as I have (12). First off, you receive BCC invitations from IBMers to come to somewhat-remotely-interesting-roundtable-with-lunch things. Ostensibly, I am being courted for my intellect and genuine feedback on a product direction, UI, or something of the sort with the recompense of a slightly-better-than-the-tent plate of food. Or a muffin, which happened one Lotusphere a few years back. Invitations start to appear left and right once you're on a few lists. I'm holding out on some other plans for the coveted "iris" reception invitation, always a good time.
Next among the strange things is the level of activity coming out of your sometimes remote contacts at IBM. All of a sudden you are a rock star (oh yeah...) if you can do just this one thing in your session, or help by blogging about this or that, or "are you live blogging..."? Depends on the connections, I say. They have to be quicker than before. It was "dead blogging" last time I tried.
Customers who have left you alone since last May have just come back refreshed from the holidays, and in their New Years' Resolution of cleaning their rolodex have come across your name. Cool! Not. I got an email from one such customer whose IT department never followed through on our instructions and now it's critical that they implement...so can we have a couple conference calls THIS WEEK PLEASE??? Grrrrrrrrrrrr.
A giant weight is lifted from my back when the third and final presentation is uploaded. It has the appearance of being done. It has a start, some content, and a finish. It ends. It has fun new disclaimers so nobody will steal it and use it with their customers, passing it (and our code examples) off as being their own. Wow, did I say that out loud? That would never happen (cough, 2002, cough). Is it final? Doubt it. I'll think of something extremely cool and valuable an hour before the session and put it in. Viktor will look at me funny when he sees the new slide, and realizes he has to code a demo before I switch the screen over to him.
Speaking of giant weights and backs, this year I'll be hobbling a little more slowly from session to session. No more mad dashes from Dolphin N Hem IV to Swam 10 in 15 minutes (thanks for that last year Chris Reckling!). Yeah, bad disc is poking out into my spinal cord and causing my leg to be in constant pain. Three shots in the spine so far and now a post-Lotusphere appointment with my old buddy the neurosurgeon. Hopped up on codeine and, well, better codeine pretty much constantly, so we'll just have to see how funny my session shtick is with Viktor.
A few days prior to Lotusphere, I take a break from all things work for a few hours at least. It was my lovely wife's 40th birthday yesterday, the 17th. Her parents just didn't plan that very well. We have a very nice dinner at Piropos. Go home. Watch Top Chef. Don't look at BlackBerry for a few hours. Then look. Damn. OK midnight. Sadly, birthday is over.
The day before leaving - today - there is always one more demo, one more slide. Two more conference calls. One more super-cool toolkit I'd like to include. Oh well, I have some time on Saturday...no wait, I won't. Penumbra meeting, annual dinner at Fulton's for 75 of my closest friends and enemies. People I hope remember me, and I hope I can remember while on the pain killers.
Sunday - two sessions, one is my favorite nontechnical session of the year where I get to teach BPs how to sell, how to deal with CEOs, and how to write proposals that don't stink. I have a lot of fun with that one. Another session in a supporting role, either showing off or filling time. We'll see.
Monday - OGS. Opening General Session. We learn new words, see new stuff, and a surprise or two. Viktor and Troy's QuickPlace session, with some cool news and an announcement.
Tuesday - The Great Code Giveaway. Be there. Repeats Thursday if you aren't. I will hunt you down if you don't go.
That's as far as I can think ahead. Back to work. There's a cool toolkit I can squeeze in if I skip lunch...
