I’m back from Vegas, baby! Honestly, the corporate event went incredibly smoothly for a first-time conference. People showed up. The equipment worked. People learned stuff. Good things were said about it. What more can you want?

Taking Care Of Business
We held the event at the Green Valley Ranch Resort, just outside the city. I was there for five days and never left the property. I was working 12-hour days doing setup, staffing the registration desk, and being a greeter at the poolside reception.

Most of the meals were catered, and while the food was tasty, some of it just didn’t sit well with my system. Personally, I’m blaming the coffee (absolutely foul). I also suspect some of the dairy items weren’t kept quite as cold as they should have been. Thus, by the time this photo was taken of me and Elvis, I was looking a bit worse for wear.

The Elvis we hired for the poolside reception was fantastic, and I hear he tours on behalf of the convention and visitor’s bureau. He has both the looks and the voice.

Held Hostage By Flying Zombies
My return trip didn’t go very smoothly, however. My 5:20 p.m. direct flight didn’t leave the ground until around 8 p.m. — and it made an unplanned fueling stop in Albuquerque, arriving in Kansas City at approximately 2 a.m. But, seeing as how it was Zombie Apocalypse Day, I suspect zombies were to blame for this utterly unacceptable chain of events. (I know the passengers were all pretty zombie-fied by the time we landed.)

Assorted Trivial Pursuits
The next morning, I took Mike to the airport. His eldest child graduated high school on Friday. Today, he and both kids leave for the UK for a grand tour. I’ve been told they plan to see it all. (Good luck with that.) They’ll have a grand time, regardless.

On Saturday I attended the SF club picnic. Turnout was small, but a good time was had by all. It’s kinda sad, really, how the club seems to be withering.

Today I cruised by the Town Center Art Show (nice variety, but nothing terribly outstanding) and foraged at Walmart (when will I learn that they never have what you’re looking for?)

Tomorrow, it’s back to the office. We’ve been so totally focused on pulling off this event that everything else has stacked up in a holding pattern awaiting our return. I suspect I’ll spend half the day just sorting through old requests and prioritizing a task list. (And figuring out how to file an expense report.)