OT: Any conference fotos?

[J. Landman Gay]

On 7/3/12 3:30 AM, Tiemo Hollmann TB wrote:
> Are there any (private) conference fotos or OT stories from behind the
> scenes of the conference (what happened after the conference at the bar?)

I wrote this to a friend. I don't really know if the other conference 
was for golfers but I claim artistic license:

***

I was at the RR conference in Atlantic City, which had ended that 
afternoon, and I was due to leave the next morning. The storm arrived 
with hurricane-force winds, torrential rain, impressive lightning, the 
tornado sirens went off. About 12:30 AM the power went out. I figured it 
was time to go to bed. I hadn't had more than 4 hours sleep any night 
for a week so that was okay.

The next morning the power was still out. The hotel had 2 conferences 
going on, some golf thing and ours. There were hundreds of people 
wandering around in pitch blackness in this giganormous, maze-like 
hotel, feeling our way down the corridors, taking wrong turns, looking 
for the lobby. Everyone was using their i-things or Androids as 
flashlights. It was like the Overlook Hotel in the Shining only without 
the creepy lady in the bathtub. The maids were standing motionless in 
the corridors with their little cleaning carts, looking completely at 
sea, not knowing what to do. None of them went into any of the rooms, 
they just stood there like deer in the headlights.

The masses converged at the main lobby which was teeming with people 
wanting to check out, only the computers were dead and the staff were 
writing down credit card numbers and names on paper. The air 
conditioning was out and everyone was sweaty. Most of the RR people were 
going to check out anyway but the golf people and vacationers were 
leaving early. Chaos ensued. The hotel was located in the middle of 
nowhere outside Atlantic City and the only place to eat was their 
restaurant, which had no coffee and no hot food. The backup generator 
was running the elevators and a single light at one of the main corridor 
crossings, but we all wished they'd turn off the elevators and turn on 
the coffee pots. It turned out okay though, because even a box of 
Kellogg's cereal cost ten bucks there, and they were putting out 
everything they had available for a free breakfast. The ad-hoc buffet 
was comprised of anything that didn't require cooking, served on plastic 
plates -- bread, juice, yogurt that would spoil anyway if someone didn't 
eat it, cake, cookies, milk. I had cranberry juice and a piece of cake 
for free. I still was dying for coffee.

Four of us left on a shuttle to the Philly airport and as we went 
through Atlantic City we saw cars crushed under fallen trees, houses 
completely covered by massive branches, power out everywhere, roads 
blocked, power lines down. I heard later 2 kids were killed there while 
camping nearby when a tree fell on their tent. The damage was 
impressive, and the heat wave was rolling in. I was glad I was cutting out.

Got to the airport and came home. Those golf guys were probably pissed off.
***

At the restaurant/bar, Andre told some hilarious personal stories in the 
way only he can do. We shared slightly off-color jokes and had giggling 
fits. Some people got pretty drunk. Heather sat in my lap one night 
because there were no more chairs available. Mark came to dinner once 
barefoot, which is against the law in the US, but none of the hotel 
staff noticed. There was much interest in my new e-cig because I could 
no longer be found standing outside all day by the ashtray. The boat 
cruise was amazing, even when Kevin was driving, which was mildly 
disconcerting because he doesn't drive a car. Mark and Elanor weren't so 
sure the boat was a good idea but they both felt somewhat better after 
finding a place to sit down.

The best part was the people, the comaraderie, the sharing, the 
friendliness, the group spirit, the bonding. Really, if you have never 
been to one of these conferences, you simply must go. There is nothing 
like it. Jo has a real talent for organizing and the conferences always 
go so smoothly you'd never guess all the work she's put into them to 
make them so special. But they always are. I think this was the best one 
yet, in spite of the technical problems, but then, I always say that. 
They just get better and better.

-- 
Jacqueline Landman Gay         |     jacque at hyperactivesw.com
HyperActive Software           |     http://www.hyperactivesw.com