I arrived at the rec center just before 8:30, and was surprised at how “un-crowded” it was. That, however, made “check-in” quick and easy. I found a seat next to Richard Z., in the second row on the right side. I wanted to sit close enough to the front that I could get decent pictures of each speaker.
I was surprised to see Stanley H. there, who I had met at Rick’s Kentucky Derby party. Neither of knew the other worked at IBM.
It was a good conference, and I know a lot of work went into it by our local volunteers. It wasn’t any where near as emotional as the three-day international conferences are every two years up at headquarters, at least not for me. I was happy to hear at the social gathering after work that it was for at least one of the attendees.
I took pictures during the day, not feeling really comfortable as the “official photographer,” the position I obtained by virtually being someone with a digital camera, but I did the best I could.
We had a “pig-pickin’ lunch” out under the shelter, which was nice. I, along with most people I think, were floored that we had pork with no slaw. (Not that it’s all about the food.) Macaroni salad was on the buffet instead. The dessert was chocolate (not my favorite) cake, with a layer of cherries in the middle (making the cake wet, also not my favorite). This didn’t stop me from eating it, however. The sign of a true fat person.
The funniest thing of all during the day was when Kevin M. leaned over to me and said about one of the Lesbian speakers, “I think she has on boxers.” I just found this hilarious, especially since it came from a straight guy.
Our after meeting gathering at Cafe Bluz started off with way too much drama. The “floor manager” came in and argued with us about being in the “red room,” and about the possibility of having separate checks. At one point, she said, “I’m sorry, but that’s our policy.” and then after that, “Our policies are for us, not for the customers.” Is that a stupid thing to say, or what? We ended up sitting in the “blue room,” and just purchasing our own drinks up at the bar.
Other than that, it was a pretty decent, well-attended gathering. Trudy had a lot to say, and talked about the tragedy of her 29-year old lover dying, and how she was raped by her own men while in the service serving overseas. There was a lot of “military” talk, as one of the guys, John J., had just returned from 1.5 years serving in the reserves in Afghanistan. People had a lot of questions for him. And being absolutely gorgeous, and new to the group, undoubtedly heightened the interest in him.
I left there later than I had committed to Robert, which I hated. As soon as I got to my car, I called him, asked him where he was, and heard, “At your place.” I apologized. I had said I was leaving at 6:00. I don’t like when I do that. It’s very disrespectful, not to mention inconsiderate. I apologized again when I arrived at the restaurant.
He met me at Papa Lou’s and had already ordered, so our food arrived promptly. We had one of those killer oreo shakes for dessert.
We ran over to Blockbuster, and used one of my free rental coupons from e-Rewards, and picked out “Man on the Train,” a French film. We were going to get “Nashville,” but as it turned out, that was only available at the Cameron Village store.
When we got home, however, we decided to wait until Saturday to watch it, and did crossword puzzles instead. Then we MMMMMMed, and lights out.