So we have gone thru a couple of days so far now, and it has been mostly meetings. Some good, some boring. The good news is we nailed our presentation and almost everyone enjoyed it. Which was a real big success for us. Now if I only been able to get Morgan Freeman to do the voice over for us, it would have been a huge hit.

But the first night we had a little mixer, the next we were on our own, the third night (Wednesday night) we had a Bedouin Dinner. So this page may load a little slow due to the pictures I am putting up. These pictures are not all mine, as I lost the power cord for the camera and so mine is dead. But CLI has two brilliant photographers in Jon Lawrence and Rich Miller and they were nice enough to take some pictures for me. Read the rest of this entry »

The first day was good, the second, not so good. Meetings and meetings. Too many meetings. And to top all of that off, I think I either lost the power cable for my camera, or did not pack it. Elise says it is not at home, so it must be lost. So my picture taking is done unless I find a new power cable for the Casio camera I have. Which really bites. This resort is pretty nice. It is not all that bad, but still I wish I had a camera to take pictures with.

And Wednesday is our presentation. I am hoping it goes well. Everyone else at this conference has been going over time, that some of the break out sessions have been moved around. Why not just stay within time allotted? Now our presentation has gone from 50 minutes to 25 minutes. Not that we are going to talk alot, but that now there are last minute edits which may make my job hard.

Oh well. If I find a camera, I will post more stuff. If not, then I will just draw a picture with crayons and tape to the screen to share. Thats the way these puters work right? You take a picture and just get it on the screen and everyone should be able to see, right? I can see it.

So I made it the full day. And it did not start too well. I actually slept last night, which is a change from any time before. I had a meeting at 9am here, and I woke up at 9:15. So I had to hurry, shower, and then run out the door. Once I did that, I had to ask the concierge where I needed to be, and was told two different things by two different people. Finally I made it to the place I needed to be, and I was plenty late. Luckily, I have been told I have a very specific purpose here, and as long as I do that, I am ok. Whew! After the morning meetings, we had lunch provided to us, and then I came back to change real quick.

We then broke into groups and went into town on a guided tour. It was great with a guide. He kept all the street vendors, and urchins, and beggars out of our face. He took us to see a snake charmer (picture included).

Then we went and I had a monkey sit on my arm. This actually made my day. Other people were afraid of the monkey, not me. I wanted to hold him. He was a very good monkey. He let me hold his hand and everything.

So then we walked over the shopping area in the downtown area. He led us to all these neat shops. I bought my wife a good present. But it was nice to see all these different places. I would never have gone by myself. If the guide had not been there, I would have stayed here. Now that I have been to the town, I do not need to leave the hotel again until we go to the airport.

It has been a good first day. There is more to do at this conference and I need to do my part. I can not wait to get home though. I am still debating about whether or not I am going to get on the plane to go back over the Atlantic. That flight really sucked.

So this is my last night in America for the next 8 days. I am not happy about going, but I am doing it anyway. It is all for work and I will do my best to not be scared and freaked out. I am flying from Phoenix to London Heathrow. From there, I am going to Marrakech. Elise will not be alone, though, she will have her brother and her brother-in-law here to watch over her and the family.

I am going for work, because if I was not going for work, I would not be going at all. Nine hours in economy on a 747 is not my idea of a holiday. But one of the events that we are doing is going on a camel ride. We also have to present and my part in this is really small. It is just pressing buttons, but that even takes a little bit of timing otherwise we just look goofy up there. I will be taking some pictures as well. I may post them, I may not. I may just end up getting a monkey paw like Homer Simpson did.

Marrakech is seven hours ahead of Phoenix time. So if you have Vista, you can set the clocks on the Sidebar to Marrakech time. I did it to my system so Elise would know what time it is when I am miserable. Which she really does not need a clock to know that. It is at all times, so no clock is needed for that. Well, I guess I am not miserable when I drive on the freakin Phoenix freeways, I am just completely upset at the idiocy that is out there. But that is the only times.

It may be good on this trip, and Elise says she is trying not to be jealous of me. But if she knew what I was going up against, she would not be too jealous. It is not like I am running around with a shovel and pale on the beaches, or running up and down greens with the a nine iron. I am going to be in meetings, and I am going to be trying my best to have fun. I most likely will, but I am really worried about traveling. If I do not like the flight, then I will be staying in London and becoming a London resident. Elise and the kids will need to come over.