What the HECK...Over

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T07:21:00.001-07:00

I hope all of you have a very merry Christmas. This is the season to spend time with family and loved ones (see how I separated the two groups). A time for us to remember the true reason for the season, the birth of our Savior. There are presents and parties and a lot of hustle and bustle, but we whould slow down and take a moment to thank our Heavenly Father for what we have. Once that is done we can get on with our holidays!

Merry Christmas!

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Chloe's Orchestra Concert

2010-12-15T18:58:00.000-07:00

It has been two days of performances for the kids. Today is Chloe's turn for orchestra. She is very excited to be playing the violin.
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Chloe's Christmas Dance Concert

2010-12-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

You probably thought I was done blogging for a while, but here I am at Chloe's Christmas Dance concert and I thought I better blog about this since I did for Jordan's concert.

Chloe sure is becoming a good dancer.

Jordan's Band Concert

2010-12-14T19:02:00.000-07:00

Hello there. Tonight is Jordan's band concert. You can barely see him in the picture, but he is there with his friend Tanner. Tonight he is playing two songs at the Christmas concert "Joyeux Noel" and "Ding Dong Merrily on High."

It was a good night.

An American Hero

2010-11-02T19:49:00.001-06:00

I did my civic duty today and voted for a bunch of people that will probably lose. Tough luck for me, but I just don't think we should send the same people to the capital every year.
If I had my way these government positions would be filled by the public by random drawing. Kind of like The Hunger Games, and then you go for a year to prepare and then do 5 years or so of service. This would keep career politicians out of the government, and the people would not owe any lobbyists or political action committees and those are the people and groups that are killing the government.
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Not My Kind of Fun Bus

2010-10-16T12:55:00.001-06:00

I went to SmashBurger with Chris this week for lunch. If you have not been to SmashBurger before you are missing out on a pretty tasty burger - a little more refined than 5 Guys, but no where near as tasty. SmashBurger has more than just burgers and dogs too - they have chicken and specialty burgers. The only bad part - and this is a biggie - they are way expensive. Almost to the point of being over priced. If you have never been, you should try it to say you have been there. Well, that is enough about SmashBurger, let's move on to the point of this post. I grew up by the Golden Living assisted living center, I have been there for Christmas carols and other types of service. Let me tell you, that would not be a "fun bus" as we know it for sure. As I entered the SmashBurger not a one of the old people looked like they were having fun. They should rename it the "dazed and confused bus" and would be right on.
I still remember driving by Golden Living one time and someone had removed the G and the E from Golden, so it read "old n Living". Now that is a good joke!
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Delayed

2010-09-15T18:43:00.001-06:00

Here I stand in JFK airport. I used to be on a plane, but we had to get off. Many people are very angry, but what is the alternative? Going down in a blaze of glory over the middle of America? I don't want to take that chance.
Hopefully I can get some shut eye on the plane. Going to be a long flight/short night.
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Workroom

2010-09-14T18:57:00.001-06:00

I am sitting here in my hotel room reviewing my current big project. I had an all day meeting Monday and then spent a lot of today (Tuesday) in meetings refining what was discussed Monday. The good news is that I am pretty confident that I have nailed the process and the requirements for the project. That means I will be able to sleep easy tonight. Only one more day until I am reunited with the family. That is good.
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Smells Great Here

2010-09-11T15:12:00.000-06:00

Don't remember if I updated the blog, but the In N Out burger closer to the house is open and busy.
I really like In N Out but the wife hates it so my opportunities to go are pretty limited. Chloe does like it, so her and I can sneak over sometimes.
I have yet to go to this location, but I have added it to my bucket list.
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Anniversary Fun

2010-09-09T17:33:00.001-06:00

Today is my 15th anniversary. Last night me and the wife went to The Lion King at Capitol Theatre to celebrate. It was pretty good. Seeing it has actually made me think that we should do these things more often. We have a couple other fun things planned. We are going to see Avatar in 3D. I know, we must be the only people in the free world that have not seen it (I actually saw it on a plane, but people tell me that does not count).
It is great being married to your best friend. It makes things pretty easy most days, especially when the funnest thing to do is just hang out with her.
This is 15, but I am excited to see what will be over the next 15!
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Inception

2010-08-06T16:30:00.001-06:00

I saw Inception on Tuesday night with the wife. It is a great movie. I highly recommend it to everyone. This movie is about entering people's dreams and learning their secrets or trying to give them ideas. The Leonardo Dicaprio charcter has a lot of emotional baggage and it is getting in the way of his job (he is one of the people entering others dreams). Leo's dreams are infiltrating other dreams and causing havoc. Anyways, this movie is great at storytelling and leaves you wanting more. Inception has a great story, great action, good effects, and good action.

You should see this movie and then let me know what you think.
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I Love You Beth Cooper

2010-08-06T09:30:00.001-06:00

Last night me and the wife watched I Love You Beth Cooper. It was not very good, but had promise.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The movie starts out funny enough as the school valedictorian professes his love for Beth Cooper during his speech. He also makes fun of the snooty girl, the class bully, and the boys that never leave high school and are part of ROTC. Here is where things go off track. After graduation Beth tells him his speech was sweet and he invites her over to his house for a party. Of course, she shows up and hilarity should ensue, but not many actually funny things happen. Our main character just spends time getting beat up as Beth Cooper drives him around town like a psych. As our main character starts to not like Beth Cooper once he gets to know her, she starts to see that the things she does are not good and they both start to have feelings for each other.
There is also a running subplot regarding our main characters friend who does not he is gay, but decides he is bi after spending the night with two of Beth Coopers friends.
END SPOILERS
I don't recommend this movie to anyone. The funny start and kind of funny ending are not worth the middle of the movie that is just stupid.
Final note: never ride in a car that Hayden Panettarie drives.
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Hole in the Wall Update

2010-08-05T20:41:00.000-06:00

Here is the wall repair I am working on. I keep assuring the wife (and myself) that it will dry to the right color. We are just a couple hours from finding out. This is just the first coat. One more coat tonight and then re-hang everything tomorrow.
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Flags

2010-08-05T17:40:00.001-06:00

I am an Eagle Scout. That is how I know these flags and poles are wrong. The taller pole should have the American flag. If the poles are the same size the non-US flag should be hoisted slightly lower. The nation is above all is how it should be, but this is Utah you know.
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Can We Fix It? Part: I've Lost Count

2010-08-04T20:32:00.000-06:00

Got a text from the wife today. The curtain rod in our front room was pulled down (accidentally). Now I need to repair the hole in the wall, repaint, and rehang the rod. Fixing the hole and repainting is easy. I just don't know where I will put the new holes for the rod. By the way, the yellow you see is the patch that is lightly covered with spakle. Once I sand and paint tomorrow you won't even notice it.

Updates to come.
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Somethings You Cannot Explain

2010-08-04T20:27:00.000-06:00

Driving home from work yesterday I saw the above. Yes, that is Luigi walking down the street. He is not holding a sign or advertising anything, he is just walking. My question is, if he was working somewhere else, why did he not take the head off or change clothes before leaving?
Seeing Luigi did brighten my day though. I like Luigi way better than Mario. Luigi is the unsung hero. He goes around saving the world not for the princess like Mario, but because he just likes to hang out with his brother.
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Hello? part 4

2010-07-29T08:30:00.002-06:00

The quotes got a little better today. Hold tight, cause the end of the week is nearing.

Take them, love them, have fun with them.
I will bring you an abacus for after lunch.
I don't care about how you feel.
I'm glad to see you are not sucking on that.
Nice one, mustache.
Did you put on cologne?
I'm glad I didn't wear my dress to the game, we would have clashed.
No, he said golden goose.
Ivan, you got something stuck to your butt.
There's an identity monkey choking me.

Hello? part 3

2010-07-28T12:23:00.002-06:00

Long day yesterday. Not a lot of funny stuff happened, but I still got some quotes.

I can hear you crying on the inside and it makes me giggle.
It's more magical than Flipper.
There's a lot of idiocy going on around here.
Am I going in to learn something or be murdered?
You once shopped there, but threw the bottle away after one sip.
Furcal! You're killing me.

Wish I had more, but just not in the right state of mind. Maybe once this day is over we can get to the normal amount of quotes.

Hello? part 2

2010-07-26T17:11:00.003-06:00

More quotes from the event this week:

I'm good with a pole, Matt
Please, no pictures of our scantily-dressed women as superheroes
But...I'm not in marketing
God may not require it, but Matt does
I'm not going to let 23 other people judging me slow me down
If you are suicidal some free bread can really cheer you up
Matt is going to cry
There's Superman sleeping in the foyer

Hello? part 1

2010-07-25T12:38:00.003-06:00

In San Diego for the North American version of our conference. More quotes will be coming (with which you can see early versions on Twitter @mattroblyer). Here are the first couple days worth of quotes:

I am ready to be punched
It's not like its Fort Knox
I am actually tri-lingual because I speak Pig Latin
People often stop me on the street and ask, "Are you a world traveller?"
No undead for you
I am a leprechaun
No, I forgot my flute
That's a good song
I care not for the Vampire Diaries
At least do them the courtesy of not killing them a violent death in the back of a limosuine
There's Captain America and his lesser known friend

Trash Bins

2010-07-16T18:46:00.001-06:00

I know we have a lot of trash but the city did not need to bring our own dumpster.
We have the dumpster in front of our house for neighborhood cleanup, which is ok, but what is weird is that the first day it was there a bunch of people I did not know all pulled their trucks up and emptied truckloads of yard debris from their jobs in the day. Anything to save a buck I guess. One guy even dropped off a bathroom he remodeled.
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Super Mario, Super Video

2010-07-07T17:30:00.000-06:00

This is one of the coolest things I have seen in a while. All of Original Super Mario Brothers, displayed on a long wall/ground in a motion capture. It is pretty cool. I found this on Gizmodo by the way.

Blowing Stuff Up

2010-07-05T21:47:00.000-06:00

Fourth of July this weekend. Pyromaniacs dream. I can see that in the early years of America blowing things up on the holiday was important. We had to show our dominance of the world. Now, it is just a reason to blow things up, things that were made in China even. I don't really get it. We blew some stuff up with friends this weekend. The girls ohhhh'd and ahhhh'd like us men were professionals and we had no sparks over 12 feet in height.
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Hello? part 6 (try #2)

2010-06-26T12:04:00.002-06:00

This will be the last quotes (until the next Catalyst). These quotes cover the last day of the conference as well as the flight home. Without further ado:

Carissa's here
I blame you Matt
He's a happy little elf today
Would Karl? I would give him a receipt.
I'm gonna get so rowdy the rest of you will look mellow
You're going to get a hernia in your teeth
You let people beat you down, we are going to have to show you the door.
So I don't lick my stitches
I like my pigeon on the bone
That is why she is a manager and you are a coordinator
Anne, hold on...now go
Instead of any real security I will ask you questions
If I get cold on the plane I just snuggle with myself
He's a swiss army knife of style
I'm so sick of you
Ain't no one playing me like a puppet
It was like finding out Darth Vader was Luke's father
Sid is more quotable today because he drank last night
Let's get our check from the Russian

Hello? part 5 (try #2)

2010-06-23T16:22:00.002-06:00

Catalyst is almost over. Sorry for the short quote list today. It was a long day, but I tried to focus on work and not quotes. I am sorry. I will try to do better tomorrow.

Do you want me to start a list?
He's an angry elf
That's what makes it a great shortcut
Am I hot?
You need some FloMax
Listen!
The pimp is responsible for compliance
I wonder if that guy just killed those tourists

Hello? part 4 (try #2)

2010-06-22T15:59:00.002-06:00

First "official" day of Catalyst today. A full day of sessions. A good amount of quotes. Too bad the days get so long that I can't remember the context by the time I post these at night. I am sure most of these were really funny when they were said originally.

John Lennon is a dick
It is probably because they let him wear a hat.
Someone farted really loud in there
Yeah, I have a problem
Penetration is a funny word
Taylor saw my head pop up from under the desk
I'm just saving her for later
If it says 23:58 I just sit and stare at it until it turns
Anything I gave you was unused
I wrote that down in my little black book to show God
Matt was impressed
Some people post all the time with nonsensical crap
I train in Brazilian Jujitsu
I thought that started with K
Sounds like PUNT!
Matts not going to get nose cancer
"Yeah, we're hungry." "Uh...huh."
Collin got Czeched

Hello? part 3 (try #2)

2010-06-21T14:25:00.002-06:00

Quotes from today. Sorry they are so light, but I actually had to work today! Crazy. Hopefully things start to pick up as the week go on. I would hate to disappoint an adoring fan base.

Good news is that the quotes today are great. One of the best days ever or quotes.

Can I get back through this door?
If you do it like I said everything will be fine
I am cool like that
You can ask for anything, what I approve for you is a different story altogether
I can read numbers...with practice
I am not spanking my monkey at all today
Thanks, cuz my Czech really sucks
The closer I hold my laptop to the ceiling the better reception I get
I can only take requests, I can't read your mind
There is a bunch of masses in here
If you had a white coat I would trust you more Matt
You gotta give me more notice if you want me to check out a guys crotch

Hello? Part 2 (try #2)

2010-06-20T15:12:00.004-06:00

Today was a good day. A little work in the morning and then touring - a great lunch at Imperial Cafe and a great dinner at a place that overlooks the Charles Bridge. Here are some great quotes from today in Prague.

By the way - you can follow great Catalyst quotes on Twitter by searching #catquotes. I will be submitting here and so will some friends of mine here at the event - but What the Heck Over will always be THE place to go for your Catalyst quotes that can be taken out of context.

She's secretly a dominatrix
Feel free, we'll just be listening
We're going to do this. We are going to walk that street.
I gotta hit 2 like 3 times
Those smelled better than they taste
I thought baby Jesus would be taller
Yeah, I haven't heard that yet
I want to see your hernia later
Maybe I will bunk with you

Hello, part 1 (Try #2)

2010-06-19T15:08:00.002-06:00

Since I am in Prague preparing for another Catalyst Conference I thought I better do some quotes (plus I have had requests - especially from Chloe). Remember that I will taking the best quotes from my Twitter feed (@mattroblyer - follow me!) to be on the blog. Here are what I have so far:

You're all hopped up on apple juice
They don't use snowballs
I gotta pee
Only if you smell burning feathers
You have Jamie's permission to kill someone. That is power.
do-dah-dooo....ohhhh!
My college degree says nothing about easels
I really need to stop saying "the Gartner people," I am the Gartner people
You'd never make it as a truck driver
It is 2 more than 5.1
I have not said a word to you in 25 minutes
I agree with you. It is sad that we are wasting 1 piece of paper.
I've got live tuna in my suitcase
I like bananas in Prague
Feel free to organize them while you are over there
This is like a weird dream I am in right now
I want candles for Fathers Day
She's him Mum
Are you sharing rooms when he gets here?
Why can't the world standardize on just one paper size?
I know a lot of websites that you shouldn't go to on your work laptop.
We had two each and I didn't sleep for a day and a half
You're solving world peace today? It's only 9 o'clock.

Follow Me On Twitter

2010-06-19T04:02:00.002-06:00

I started a Twitter account just for my work. You can follow me here @mattroblyer and get a preview of quotes at this year's Catalyst.

I am in Prague (again) and setting up for another Catalyst. So far no volcano, my luggage has not gotten lost, and I have not been more than 100 yards out of the hotel. Sounds like the event is actually going to happen this time.

Commuting

2010-06-01T17:41:00.001-06:00

The picture above is what I was presented with on my drive home tonight. It added about 15 minutes to my commute. I know that does not sound like much, but sometimes that 15 minutes can change the way you think about your day.

Also, to all you losers that speed past people trying to get over only to douible the wait time when you are forced to get over: please try to stay in the flow of traffic. It helps everyone out. You are not the most important person in the world.
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Waiting In Line

2010-05-20T17:50:00.001-06:00

Jordan and I are waiting in line for Chloe's dance concert. It has been an hour and we still have more to go.

What did people do before phones, iPods, and iTouches? Waiting in line like this would have been unbearable. Jordan could sit for days and do nothing but play games on the Touch - too bad the battery does not last that long.

Right now Jordan likes the impossible test on the Touch. It is pretty cool. Each screen has a different question or task that you must do. It is hard. We have gotten into the 50's on the screens and have not passed it yet. It is pretty hard.
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Jazz Attitude

2010-05-20T17:44:00.001-06:00

Chloe did not make Jazz Attitude this year. I am not very happy about it. When I was at tryouts I saw many girls that Chloe was considerably better than. This is the list of girls that did make the team. By the way, Chloe was #24.
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In-N-Out Update

2010-05-20T17:42:00.001-06:00

Another new In-N-Out burger is being built near my house. Well, not really. It is about the same distance as the other In-N-Out near me. The biggest difference is that this In-N-Out is on my way home from work!

With Chickfila and In-N-Out I may never have to cook again! Or at least Diana won't.
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Chloe's Dance Picture

2010-05-15T11:45:00.000-06:00

Chloe has pictures for her dance concert today. Here is a preview of her costume.

The dance concert is next Thursday and Friday - get in line early for a good seat.
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At the Costco

2010-05-13T19:46:00.003-06:00

They both are still alive after getting in (there were some scary moments). The real question is: can they get out?

It Is Open

2010-04-29T17:34:00.001-06:00

The new Chickfila opened in the neighborhood today. Guess what's for dinner!

This is actually well ran. They have police officers running traffic and around 5 people running outside in the cold for the drive thru. In restaurant traffic does not seem that good though. Maybe the blowup cow is scaring people.
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Hello? part 5

2010-04-19T15:28:00.002-06:00

Another day of touring and a little work. A great dinner at a restaraunt overlooking the Charles Bridge. Prague is beautiful!

This would be a cool field trip. In Utah we just go to the zoo every year.
In October they turn this into a haunted house and double the prices.
I'm not giving her any peer pressure, just being a bad example.
And now we can't turn right.
Disco ball!
If it is zombie nudity is ok.
It must be Miley Cyrus.
I am going to try to find an 80s song reference for everything said the rest of the night.
I'm doing it right now.
And then enjoy your night in jail.
Give me a beet and goat cheese and I am a happy woman.
These bread sticks are better than Little Ceasars.
That is called the ash hole.
That was probably Joe Montana.

Hello? part 4

2010-04-18T15:06:00.002-06:00

You won't believe our day today. We got some sweet pictures. We went to the bone church that is about an hour from Prague and we also went and saw St. Barbara cathedral as well (they were both in the same small town). The bone church was cool and has over 40,000 bones inside it as decoration. I will be posting pictures soon. Once we got back we went to this huge park that has a huge metronome in it. It was pretty cool and another day of a lot of walking.

There was also some great quotes for today:

Karl is here, bring out the gay pride corn
No one makes you me more nervous than someone that says, "don't be scared"
There's your daughters gum
I have really fantastic calves
Who would I want to play leap frog with?
It's true. I can hold my breath for a minute
Actually, I don't think Sid can say that
We don't pet weird dogs in Prague
Are they taking their antibiotics
I've hidden in the closets there

Hello? part 3

2010-04-17T14:05:00.003-06:00

So, with Catalyst Conference postponed today was a day where we spent time unstuffing badges and lanyards and just some general cleanup. By 1pm we were all done - and we even slept in! So, we went around town here in Prague. We walked by the Powder Tower, Old Town Square, and Charles Bridge. All the way up to the Prague castle. It was a nice 5+ hour walk and see plus lunch mixed in. We had a great time. Here are the quotes from today:

We beat those fools.
Because Europeans are weird.
Not for you...bye-bye.
I think she has a hot date tonight.
Don't you hear the voices?
Let's drive that across the river.
Don't be an ash cloud.

Hello? part 2

2010-04-16T13:04:00.004-06:00

Not a good day overall - we are postponing Catalyst Europe because all of the airports are shut down. You will see some quotes regarding this below.

Who's Delta?
There's junk in your folder
I'll take you to the bag store
Laugh at me tomorrow, Matt
Why wasn't this in the employee kit?
Sometimes kids need jail to get on the right path
I live in a pineapple under the sea
It's only 3 hours to Tokyo
I gotta get on somebody's blog
A bloke got his lanyard nicked (in an English accent)
I never like Iceland
Sounds like a problem for your urologist
Everytime Karl says something witty he looks at me to see if I pick up my pen

Hello? Part 1

2010-04-15T11:49:00.004-06:00

On the first day of CEU 2010 this was going on:

She is the calm one.
Bite me.
Google it.
We pay a lot of money for that cluster.
Jesus is coming, look busy.
Good thing we are not dinosaurs.
Kicking it with the weasel here in Prague.
You've been on there for a long time.
Drive through the Chunnel, turn left.
Don't look like a vulnerable wimp and you'll be fine.

Posting Again

2010-04-15T07:28:00.003-06:00

A lot has happened over the past 3-plus months. Maybe at some point I will go over all of it with you, but then again, maybe not. For now, I am posting again. Also, I am once again in Europe for that annual Catalyst conference and will be posting some of the great quotes that are overheard.

Lastly, Chloe is hanging out with me in Europe this week as well. I will be reading her journal all week and posting the juicy parts. Pictures and other fun stuff coming all this week and next!

The Difference Between A Schmidget and A Shart

2010-04-15T07:19:00.005-06:00

Today while walking back from lunch a couple of my colleagues, Chloe and I had a very riveting discussion about words. Another of our colleagues does not like the words "moist" and "fart." Now these are probably not the best words, but I do not have a problem with them. Karl commented that by themselves, these words are fine, but together they make the phrase "moist fart" which is really bad, and not only when you say it, but when it happens to you as well. Karl says he calls these "moist farts" a shart, while I would call them a "schmidget." We discussed this for a moment and came to the conclusion that with a "schmidget" you are probably checking your pants, but you are still good to go. With a "shart" you check your pants and are in trouble. Hopefully you packed a separate part of pants.

Can We Fix It? Part 2

2010-01-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

The washing machine was broken. Key word being was. I fixed it! The motor coupling burned out (the washer is 12 years old, so it was probably time for one). This job took me a while and I had to google a video of how to pull the motor out, but I finally got it.

I am awesomer than I even knew.
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Can We Fix It? Part 1

2010-01-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

The hot water valve under the kitchen sink started leaking on new years eve. Today, I fixed it. You can see the newly installed valve in one of the pictures and the other is the old busted one. You can see the handle is no longer attached. The leak was through the handle, it is like over time the hot water just melted away the post the handle was on. This was a pretty simple fix. Took under an hour counting running to the store for the part.

I still have 2 more items that need to be fixed. The in-sink disposal went out and the washing machine broke - all on new years eve. Yeah, that was a good day. I will keep you updated on my progress as I attempt to fix things today.
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I am going to be poor

2009-12-24T11:43:00.001-07:00

Recently the Fazolis by our house closed and they started stripping the inside of it. We had been wondering what would take its place. I don't think I can afford a Chickfila within 3 minutes of my house.

I'm An Animal

2009-12-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

Went to In-N-Out with Chloe and Flater. Here are my animal fries. I also got my double-double animal style.
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The Performance of the Night

2009-12-17T22:54:00.004-07:00

Chloe's violin concert was awesome! She did a great job. The concert was at First United Methodist church, which was a great place for a recital like this. It was a lot better than the school auditorium (where sound goes to die). Sorry for the darness of the video, but I'm not a professional and don't have professional equipment. I will try to do better next time.

Right Now

2009-12-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

Chloe is playing right now. If you are not here you are going to miss it! I took some video and will get it posted.
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Last Performance of the Season

2009-12-17T18:34:00.000-07:00

We are at the First United Methodist church downtown for Chloe's final Christmas performance. More to come.
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Jordan...Live and In Color

2009-12-15T22:26:00.004-07:00

Above is Jordan playing in his concert, it is kind of like a "Where's Waldo?" Can you find him?

Jordan had his Christmas concert tonight. He plays percussion and played a total of three songs. In two on the songs, he played the tambourine. Let me tell you something, I have never seen a tambourine played better! Also, he got a solo on one of the songs where it is just him and his tambourine. It was awesome.

The movie below is of the song he played the drum for. As you watch you will see his music go flying off his stand and then requiring him to look over the drum at the person next to him. He kept playing without missing a beat! Way to go Jordan, you were awesome tonight!

Jordan's Turn

2009-12-15T18:24:00.000-07:00

Chloe had dance last night, Jordan has band tonight. I will get some video and post it, but Jordan wants you to know that he is in the back and you won't see him, but he says, 'Hi."
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Chloe's Dance Part 2

2009-12-14T20:45:00.003-07:00

This is a picture of Chloe's dance class.

Below is Chloe's dance (just the last half). The stupid camera was not working for the first half and I had to restart it to get the video. I was angry. At least you can see the ending. It is a good dance and Chloe was awesome during it.

Chloe's Christmas Dance

2009-12-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

Here is the beginning shot. I am going to try and video the dance on their second run through and post later.
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White Elephant

2009-12-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

At work today we had our Christmas lunch with white elephant exchange. This is what I got. It is desktop dodgeball. It is awesome. You can throw the red ball and try to knock the kids over. If you are ever around my office you can stop by and play.

By the way, I "stole" this from someone else. I didn't unwrap it. It came with a Family Guy DVD but I didn't want that.
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Making the donuts

2009-12-11T17:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, I didn't actually make any donuts, I just stopped at Harmons to get them. But, I didn't use a cart at the store, I carried them all by myself. My work has a donut Friday every week and someone brings donuts and we all sit around and chat. Today was my turn to bring the donuts. I got three dozen and I believe everyone had a good time, but you would have to ask them yourself.
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Jordan and Sprinkles

2009-12-04T17:34:00.000-07:00

On the polar express Jordan got to sit by an elf while we read the book Polar Express. The elf's name was Sprinkles and was nice enough to let us take a picture.
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Ry-ry's family did not make it

2009-12-04T17:07:00.000-07:00

But I got a picture of my Mom and Dad with antlers.
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On the Train

2009-12-04T16:59:00.000-07:00

We are on our way to the North Pole. We got Diana on no problem and we are waiting for Ry-ry's family - will they make the train? We have drama! The clock is ticking on these guys, if they miss it they will miss the first gift of Christmas. I will let you know. I will let you know.
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Going to the North Pole

2009-12-04T16:24:00.000-07:00

Me and the family are going to the North Pole tonight. We are riding with my parents and Ry-ry's family. We will have some hot chocolate and see Santa and then come home. It should be a fun night. I will post pictures.
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Arrrrrrrggghhh! I'm a Pirate

2009-12-03T20:01:00.000-07:00

In more home fix-up news, we need some new slats for our laminate floor. The fridge leaked and water got trapped beneath the old linoleum and the laminate. The edges of the laminate have warped and it is no longer smooth. Last weekend Flater and I started ripping up the floor and marking bad slats.

The rest of the story is that we couldn't get good enough cuts and/or have enough slats to finish. We ended up putting everything back, but now the floor looks like this:
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Look What I Did

2009-12-03T08:06:00.000-07:00

Our microwave broke about a month ago. We have been warming things up in the microwave. It has been fun, and long. I don't know how people cooked without a microwave. I am happy to have one back.

I went out on Black Friday to get this, bit Sears was out so I ordered it. Diana and I went and picked it up last night and then it was up to me to install.

It took about an hour and a half to get installed. I was able to use the old back mounting for the old microwave which made things easier. I did have to drill new top anchor holes. I thought that microwaces would have standard holes, but they don't.

It was a good time, and now we have a microwave again. It looks good, doesn't it?
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Most ridiculous thing I have seen today

2009-11-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

Dog in a jacket in a car waiting for Costco to open.
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Black Friday

2009-11-27T07:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am out shopping. So far I have been to Sears, Target, and Walmart. I still have Shopko and Costco on my list. I have gotten a lot of the items on my list already. I did get our new microwave at Sears, but it won't be in until December 2. Target was a zoo and I got the one item that I needed from them and then checked out. Walmart was crazy and I ended up walking around the store 3 time to find everything, but I got most of it.

I got some of my shopping done this morning at 1am. We got home from Ry-ry and Anne's and I checked to see if any stores had their deals online already. Radio Shack did and that saved me a stop this morning that would have been problematic for me. I did some shopping then went to bed, then got up at 4:15am for my current shopping spree.

Nothing like 3 hours of sleep and then fighting with people, I mean, shopping black friday.
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BFFs

2009-11-23T20:33:00.004-07:00

My dentist and I are best friends. I had a checkup today and the result was: no cavities. Six months ago I went to the dentist for the first time in 12 years or so and I had four cavities. It wasn't that I don't take care of my teeth, I just never went to the dentist so I had a lot of time for something to go bad. Diana believes that good oral hygiene is good for your heart (I don't believe it, I told her I need to see some research but she has never given me anything, so it must not be true) and I have promised her I will go every six months to get a checkup. As long as this keeps up, me and the dentist can be BFFs!

By the way, my dentist asked about my Dad. You see, my Dad and I have the same dentist and occasionally meet up there for dual checkups and stuff. The dentist finds this funny so he always says how weird it is that we were there at the same time.

I Can Only Hope

2009-11-23T20:29:00.002-07:00

Chloe is sick. She is complaining of a fever, headache, and a sore throat. Could be a cold, could be the flu. Could be something else. Whatever it is, I hope she throws up.

That might sound mean, but she is the only person in the family with a longer streak than me right now and that is just not right. I should have the best no-throw up streak in the house. That is just the natural order of things.

By the way, you can always check out my streak counter in the right-hand navigation. Almost up to two years without throwing up. Just like a pro athlete, I am taking this streak one day at a time.

Spelling

2009-11-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

Chloe just said that she doesn't need help getting tested with her spelling words. She says she knows them because she writes them 5 times everyday. Then she goes, "See, certain...S...E..."

Yeah, I think she needs some help.
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First Thanksgiving and Powers Out

2009-11-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

We just got home from Diana's Moms house for our first Thanksgiving (we had spaghetti). It was pretty tasty. Diana's Mom has a really good spaghetti recipe - she uses a mix of spicy hot and regular sausage and a spice mix from Colosimos. Tasty, tasty, tasty. While we were there it started snowing and snowing and snowing. There is probably an inch or so on the ground right now and it is still coming down.

As we drove home we saw some traffic lights that were out. Then we saw some neighborhoods that had no power. Then we got to our house and there was no power. We came inside and now the entire family is camped on my bed waiting for the power to come back on.

Jordan is reading. Chloe is practicing her spelling, Diana is playing her DS, and I am blogging. We are having a good time.

I am sure the power will come back on anytime.
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I'm Gonna Go Swipe Those Kids

2009-11-20T20:48:00.003-07:00

We are watching some friends kids for the weekend. There has been some great quotes from the little ones. Our friends kids are 10 (boy), 6 (boy), and 2 (girl) and this is a rundown of what they have said:

I was a little dancing M&M.

Interrupting cow, MOOOOOOOO!

I'm Livi-bird. Tweet Tweet! Chicken Nuggets!

My tummy is really happy.

Chloe is my best friend.

I'm a little big bad wolf.

Ring, ring. Hello, Christmas!

(fake laugh)

It was a yucky bear.

We're going to McDonald's, I can see it!

Your my best brother. Can I have a kiss?

There has been many others that I cannot remember right now. It has been a fun couple days.

Chloe and a Major Award

2009-11-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

Chloe was accepted into the Junior National Honor Society at her school tonight. She got a pin to wear and a membership card that is needed to gain entrance to the meeting. At the first meeting they will probably teach them the secret knock so they won't need the membership cards after that.

Way to go Chloe!
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Fixing Toliets

2009-11-16T23:02:00.003-07:00

Over the past couple weeks I have become a pro at fixing toilets. In the past month I have replaced 2 valves in 2 different toilets and 2 flappers. One of the flappers was just a slide-on so it was no problem. The one I fixed tonight was a clip on. It took me a minute to figure it out, but I got it.

I just wish all these things around the house didn't need fixing. That would be much easier.

Next up is the floor in the kitchen. I also need to make sure that the connector on the fridge is not leaking.

New Glass Is In

2009-11-16T20:12:00.001-07:00

My Dad got me some replacement glass for the coffee table that Chloe broke a couple weeks ago. The glass fit right in. Looks good and I just sent her the $40 bill for it. I didn't want to be mean so I gave her 10 days to pay it.

I Am Sick

2009-11-06T01:12:00.002-07:00

I am wide awake right now. I slept almost the entire day. I have been sick this week. Not feeling good at all. I just cannot get to sleep right now. Nothing is comfortable on the bed. I tried watching TV. I decided to come into the living room and blog for a minute to see if that would get me to sleep.

Don't know if I have the Swine Flu or not. One of the kids at Chloe's Halloween party did have the Swine Flu and has missed a bunch of school this week. That might be it. Or, I might have something completely different. If I can get to sleep in the next little while I am going to try and get to work on Friday, or maybe I will take one more day trying to get well. I don't know. A lot of it depends on if I can get to sleep tonight.

I do feel a lot better today. I actually ate something solid. From Tuesday afternoon to tonight I had only eaten a bowl of cocoa krispies and 3 yogurts. Tonight I had some spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread. It was good.

I don't want to complain too much, Diana and Jordan have been sick as well, but I don't think they have what I have. I have had fevers, chills, sweats, pains and aches with a little cough. Those two have been mostly coughs, but Diana has also spoken of some aches and pains. But neither has had the fevers or the sweats like I have.

I know, pity me.

Parent Watch Night

2009-11-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

I am at Chloe's parent watch night for dance. She is a dancing machine. Her team is preparing for their Christmas concert - which will just be in the studio. Sorry, I won't be able to get you tickets.
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Broken Glass

2009-11-02T19:30:00.000-07:00

We had family over on Sunday night (busy weekend, right? - haven't even told you that I fixed a toliet too!). We were happily preparing - doing last minute cleaning, getting chairs out, moving the coffee table. Well, let me go back...

We have a pretty small front room, enough room for our two couches face-to-face and our coffee table with aisles to walk through. It is great when people are over. No TV to distract, you are just face to face with the other people and you can chat. We bring in chairs from the office or kitchen or downstairs. We then take the coffee table and put it in Jordan's room or down the hall. We have been doing this for years with no problems (I am usually the one moving everything).

Yesterday, Diana and I were snuggling on the couch and having the kids take care of getting ready. They were doing a fine job, took the coffee table out, started getting chairs. Diana and I were reading the Ward Newsletter and all of a sudden CRASH!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't think I could put enough exclamation points. I look over and see Chloe inside the coffee table - I did say it was glass top, right?

I run over to Chloe, Diana asks if she is OK, I can tell she is fine, maybe a small scratch where she broke through. I toss her out and start surveying the scene:

Glass is broken into hundreds of pieces
Table is scratched on the top and the bottom
I am pissed

I try not to yell, I think I do a pretty good job: I go outside for a minute to calm down. I do go in and give her some choice words, basically asking her 1) what was she thinking climbing on the glass with a chair; and 2) what was she thinking as she crashed through the glass. She just sobs. Now remember, she is not hurt physically, she is just mad/sad that it happened.

I get a box to pick up all the glass. My parents arrive and start babying her once the hear the story. I get things picked up and vacuumed, my Dad measures the opening so he can check with some people on the glass.

I now spend the rest of the night making "funny" (to me) comments. Diana is not happy and Chloe is not talking to me.

Now, the question I have is: did I do anything wrong? I was mad, but controlled, I left the house when things were too bad. I didn't kill her. I think I did good. What are your thought and comments?
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And Trick or Treating

2009-11-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

The night finally arrives. Jordan is in his mad scientist costume. Chloe is in her Athena costume (to answer the door). I on my way to ChikFilA for dinner when I get a call on the cell phone. Jordan wants to go trick or treating with friends. Now, trick or treating is a family activity and I have turned the kids down many times on going with friends and no adults-we have gone with friends, but always with adults.

I had already spent 3 and a half hours walking the hike with Jordan and my feet hurt. I took the opportunity to stay home and hang out. It has been years since I stayed home on Halloween (one year I was in Germany).

I got back home, took Jordan to his friends and Chloe, Diana, and I all hung out listening to music and YouTube videos (mine were mostly met with Boo's or apathy). It was a good night and my feet didn't hurt by the end.

Jordan loved going with friends and he knows this is a one time thing as next year he will be having a party and no treating.

You know, a good Dad would probably have taken some picture or something. Sorry.
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A Hike

2009-11-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

Jordan is an 11-year old scout. He is tryung to get to his Second Class Boy Scout badge. He has some swimming still to do (the boy sinks like an anchor- the swimming could be a problem) and a five mile hike and map orienteering. Jordan's troop was doing the 5 mile hike on Halloween (nothing like tiring out the kids before trick or treating). I decided to go on the hike with Jordan.

We looked at the map and set up our five mile path. Up 6400 West to 5400 South, over to 6000 West and then down throught the golf course. From there we cut through the neighborhood to get back to the starting point.

It was a good five miles and Jordan did pretty good. We stopped to rest a bunch of times but we made it through strong.

Once we got back to the house we hurried home for trick or treating! I thought Jordan would be too tired. I was wrong.
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A Party

2009-11-02T17:36:00.000-07:00

At my house, kids do not trick or treat after the sixth grade. Chloe just started seventh grade. That must mean this rule now applies to her. Diana and I decided that becuase she cannot go out trick or treating, she should be able to have a Halloween party. Chloe happily accepted the terms of the deal and invited 16 friends.

About 12 kids total atteded the party last Friday. It was wild. We did "Witches Brew" which is where you get a list of food items to be blended and drunk by each person (everyone gets a custom made witches brew). We had food items like strawberries, blueberries, ice cream, pickles, string cheese and broccoli. Everyone got a prett wild drink - no I did not partake (I wasn't invited, I was making sure no one blended their fingers off).
After the witches brew we did "Donuts on a String" where you have a group of people eating donuts off a string with no hands. First one to completely eat the donuts wins.

At this point we broke out the glow sticks and the kids went outside to play tag in the dark. They really enjoyed this.

Lastly, the kids went downstairs and played "Mafia", don't ask me what it is, they tried to explain it and I have no idea.

Once we got all the kids out (some parents don't know what 10pm is I guess). Chloe then started the long taks of cleaning the house. She did an ok job that night and finished up the next morning.

I was asleep for all the cleaning - it wasn't my party.
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Day 4 of SPC09

2009-10-22T13:08:00.001-06:00

Updating your 2007 site to 2010:
This session dealt with a highly skinned site (which BG does not do).
There was all kinds of problems and errors that had to be fixed and the demos did not go smooth
The presenters blamed it on beta software, I am not so sure
I am glad that we do not have highly-skinned sites to worry about upgrading
After the demos, they started shooting out t-shirts, I did not get one. Sad face.

Driving End-user adoption:
SP is more about culture than technology
The Challenge of Adoption:
Users don’t have to use SP to get their job done (usually)
Really take 18-36 months to see results
Must-have elements in an adoption strategy:
Communication, training, content conversion, user support, incentives and rewards
Training:
Its not just for developers and IT
Power users and site administrators need it - they can do too much damage without it
Microsoft "buzz" kit for SP - google it
People love getting something that tells them they are smart
Training should be just in time and just enough - don’t bore them
User Support:
Contact person for every page
Internal user group
Metric and anecdote feedback - ratings, good/bad experiences
Must-have (free) resources:
SP Buzz kit
SP Training kit, videos, articles, interactive, tutorials, 2 versions: 1 can be installed on desktop, the other is installed on SP
MS Productivity Hub: installed on SP, is a site collection with pre-loaded content about SP - it is not static
Get The Point Blog: MS blog with tips and tricks for SP users
SP channel on YouTube
Demo Spotlight: MS resource

Upgrading 2007 code to 2010:
This session got pretty technical pretty fast, but there were no other sessions that really interested me. I left this one early because there was a problem on my hotel bill (you know how they just print them out and throw them into an envelope without you actually seeing it. I looked at during the break and noticed that I was double-charged for a meal. I headed back to the Luxor - I didn’t want to go back, but I had to.

After I got done with the hotel I am heading to the airport for a flight home. See you all later.

Day 3 at SPC

2009-10-22T10:22:00.002-06:00

Art of the SP Story

Business value is more important now, people used to just buy, now people have to show Value for the money they spend
99% of failure is not product or technology, it is organizational culture (afraid of change)
People don’t WANT to do more - with less people or more time, it just let people mess up faster
Intimate engagement with an executive sponsor
ROI in 6 months is smoke and mirrors, need to have accountability
Need to be able to measure
IT should not be making the business case over business improvements
IT should be a teammate - a business leader should own it
Must always question "why am I doing this?" and don’t let IT answer - it must be the business leader than answers
MS expense management project - funny, same problems as BG
Why don’t we tell stories?
Don’t have a good one - make a good one
Cant remember a story - learn how to
Don’t tell good stories - you can get better
Need documentation to support my story - no you don’t
I'm new and don’t have many stories - start building your inventory, a story every day
Don’t get measured to tell stories - too bad, you are
Great stories drive action
Make value proposition tangible
Asks "they did it, why can't you?"
How the story is told can be more important than the data - doesn’t mean you can lie
The idea of the story is to motivate someone to do something
Is it a marketing pitch or is it real?
Storytelling is critical to your organizations success
Good story:
Simple
Unexpected
Concrete
Credible
Emotional
Stickable
Sellable
Make it stick
What makes great storyteller
Candor
Honesty
Authenticity
Role Model
Action Oriented
Credible
Trustworthy
Enthusiastic
Real
Not a recession, but a reset, things will not come back quickly
Used properly, SP will make your face to face meetings better, through prior to event collaboration
To be the best you can be:
Develop your story inventory
Look for opportunities to tell stories
Find a coach
Expose yourself in critical review
Put yourself in front of people you trust
Get training
Practice and measure results

BG session - Governance

Went to Craig's governance session to say "Hi", it was super full with a lot of good comments afterwards.

SP Workspaces
Office 2010 - pro +
Rich client for SP
Fast - against a local copy
Anytime, anywhere
Sync's collaborative content: documents, tasks, information worker items
Works with LOB lists, external lists, doc libs, SP lists
Very easy to use - can be used in client or browser
Only connects to what you want
Has unread notice - green dots
Is searchable through your stuff (Windows desktop search), just stuff you have
Uses contextual ribbon, has "quick launch"
Follow unread icons to new/edited items
Has "Backstage" info about the site - things you might want to know
Brings down views
Upload like normal
New can have different content types
Syncs every 15 minutes, new content types will contact the server looking for changes, can save directly to SP or to Workspace (for offline)
Works with the Office 10 multi-authoring features
Has conflict resolution for changes
Does not have admin CRUD tools
Those must be done in browser
Will not sync a list over 30,000 items
Keeps permissions from browser site
Through browser, an admin can set "do not take offline" to stop offline access
There will be a Mac version, created by a different team though, won't guarantee same functionality
Version history controlled by SP Server, only keeps latest on Workspace

No Code Business Applications
Using the BCS (overview)
Ability to compose no code solutions, with some IT control
Presentation - extend office and SP UI to extend data capabilities
Connectivity - read-write capable from client and server to DB or other sources
Tooling - Integrated tools (SPD) for simple solutions
External Content Types (building blocks) for getting data into SP
This session needs to be viewed to see how cool some of the stuff you can do with this. Lets just say that you are in Word, accessing databases from SharePoint through Workspaces (so it will even work online), there was even tabs in Outlook that were using information from SP. Every company should be doing things like this.
Awkward typo during this session, his name is Dan, he wrote "Damn"
How about using this for dialogues - closing and such right in Outlook - the analyst would never have to leave - Consulting? Sales? Almost everyone can use this.

Deploying Office 2010 on the Desktop
I had hoped this session would talk about the different Office 2010 versions and what you need to run with SharePoint. It wasn't. It was a session about how to modify the install files (.msi) to give or take-away any features from the system. I sat for about 10 minutes and decided that Ivan would be the only person that cares about it.

I walked around to see what else was going on and nothing was that interesting to me. I went back to the hotel room dropped my stuff off and then came back for Ask The Experts and a night out with BG people. Long day.

What I'm Getting Diana

2009-10-21T22:26:00.000-06:00

It is a rule that when you are away on a business trip you have to come home with stuff for your family. I have been wondering what I should get my wife, but I finally found it!
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SharePoint Fairy is back!

2009-10-21T17:32:00.002-06:00

This time in white. All this time I thought she wasn't real.

Meet the Bold 9700

2009-10-21T12:24:00.004-06:00

RIM announced my next phone today. It has been a while in the making. No, it is not Earth-shattering, or an iPhone killer, but what this Bold 9700 does do is improve every problem I have with my current phone (the Blackberry Curve).

You can find out more about the Bold 9700 here: http://na.blackberry.com/eng/devices/blackberrybold9700/?iid=RIM_Bold9700_Homepage

This phone will be available for purchase in early November. The carriers (AT&T and TMobile) have not announced pricing, but I have heard it should be around $200 (they can't make it more than the iPhone for sure).

Now, I know you probably aren't going to click that link, so let me tell you what improvements in the phone make this the next phone for me:

First TMobile 3G phone - finally some speed while on the cell network (I hate EDGE)
3.2 megapixel camera - I cannot stand my 2.0, it is horrible (evidence of this is all over my blog). By the way, my current digital camera is only 3.2 megapixel, I will be able to get rid of it once I get this phone.
WiFi calling - that really works. My Curve has wifi calling, but I always (OK, maybe not always) lose the connection when the phone switches between UMA (wifi) and cellular calling.
Better QWERTY keyboard than my current Curve

And all this in a form factor that matches my current phone (the old Bold was quite a bit larger - width and height - than a Curve).

I am still waiting for TMobile to announce their launch date and pricing. Need to get me one of these.

Day 2 of SPC

2009-10-21T09:59:00.002-06:00

What I learned the second day of the SharePoint Conference:

SP2010 - does not have PDF icon (again), probably won't search PDFs out of the box (again) when will MS really start to play nice? I have an interoperability session later today - we will see. Spoke with someone during lunch and he says Foxit PDF search is the best he has seen for SharePoint.

Dashboarding Session

PerformancePoint makes it easy
Can slice and dice the data.
Conditional data can be opened to see where the numbers come from
Dashboarding is easy as 1, 2, 3 with SP2010 and Performance Point

SP2010 based document assembly and manipulation using Word automation and services and open xml

Open xml software developer kit coming, based on .net, will work on server
Works on office 2007 and 2010
Uniform platform for solutions
SDK does not: replace office apps, perform layout or recalculate, perform conversions to pdf or xps
Version 1 of sdk (june 2008), v2 in development now
Shooting for release near office 2010, support all new features on 2010
Demos:
Use document sets in SP2010 - binder of docs that are related, can use different types of docs
SDK can manipulate documents, but still tasks that need to be done in Office services (see above for things that SDK does not do)
NEW: Word automation services in SP2010
Allows word automation services to open, save, convert to docx, pdf, others,
Works on any file word can open - mainly for conversion tasks
Server-side rendering
Super fast, about 175,000 docs a day
SDK and Word Automation are meant to be used together, SDK for manipulation and Word automation for conversion/archiving
Excel services can query a word doc and make calculations
New File i/o for SharePoint: multiple word users collaborate at the same time on a document (need SP10 and Word 10), dotted lines to show where people have edited, new changes come in when save is hit, the changes show in green for other users
Building block - content control - "work item" to enter needs for docs, use workflow and can pull and push info through sharepoint
Tasks that result can be managed - and items added right through SP workflow and attachments
Allows you to stay in office while working, do not have to rely on busy-work tasks, automate tasks

Workflow in SP2010
Ability to modify a workflow and save it out as a new workflow
Buld on-demand columns as you build workflows
Manager and user-profiles/lookups are now built-in
Columns added to workflows as you bind workflows to a list
Ability to add user data (and tell the system how to use it) in emails
Impersonation Step is NEW - to get around the person that created the workflow shows as creator on SP lists - and this does not work in all environments
NEW ability to interact with "document sets" new SP10 feature
Ability to export workflows to visio for review - COOL
Ability to edit in visio and re-export back into SPD
NEW Task Process Designer - build robust behaviors in human workflows
Can add a "task process" (a mini workflow) inside of other workflows
Custom activities for SPD, deploy to sandbox

Multi-user authoring in Office 2010 and Office Web Apps
One note multi-authoring
Bold= new unread content
See content that has been added since last look
Markings to know who added and how much
System syncs back and forth
Sync rates get faster with more users on a notebook
Can move table rows/columns as others are typing, the system will figure it all out
Find changes by author/age of edit

Word multi-user authoring
Bubble notification alerts you that multiple people are editing, also new box that lists all people editing - with contact information (via SP or AD)
OneNote is more free for all, Word pops up dotted lines and names balloons - others are locked out of editing paragraphs that someone else has edited
Updates available once someone saves, changes get highlighted
"Backstage" shows versions
Word Office web app: slow load the first time (rendering slowness)

PowerPoint
Alerted to changes that conflict
Broadcast a slide show through SP/2010 gives you URL to viewers, via email

Same kinds of things in Excel
Only works through the webapp - not in the client

General Info
Syncing is faster because they are just updating what changes - not replacing the entire item!
If system cannot reconcile the change, a popup will appear and user can make decision

Interoperability with SharePoint
UI Interoperability
Better user experience across browser - cross browser rich-text editor, firefox open/save integration with Office apps
Saw basic SP functions on: opera, chrome, firefox, safari (pc), ie
Better code output, html, css, wcag 2.0, xhtml
Identity Interoperability
WS-Federation 1.1, WS-Trust 1.4, SAML Token 1.1 will all be supported
Search Interoperability
OpenSearch Standard (from Creative Commons) for syndication and aggregation of results
Content Indexing via BCS - business connectivity services
Data Access
CMIS and REST
External Data Access
Line of business data in sharepoint UI
Build end-to-end client and server apps right within SP
Any SQL app data can be exposed through SP UI
BCS client runtime in Office2010 apps, allows for read-write compatibility both ways
Storage Interoperability
End users don’t care where data is stored as long as the data can come back, data can be stored outside of the SP SQL database - but why - who wants their data mixed around like that? MS heard that SQL is too expensive - but doing this will increase operation costs

Will need IE8 for interoperability > IE6 will not work as well

At the end of the day there was the Beach Party that was pretty cool. I posted a couple pictures from that. You won't see any of Huey Lewis and the News bacause I was so far away and my stupid camera wouldn't zoom, so nothing turned out. It was a good time. After that, I hit up the M&M store and then off to bed.

Now for this mornings sessions...

My Favorite

2009-10-20T23:11:00.001-06:00

Everyone has their own favorite place in Vegas or on the Strip. Mine is M&M World. 4 floors of M&M goodness. Everything you could ever want. Wish their was one closer to my house.

Michael Jackson dancers

2009-10-20T21:06:00.001-06:00

These guys are on a glass floor on top of the water. They are pretty good. Hopefully one of them falls off.

The Party

2009-10-20T20:53:00.001-06:00

This is the madness of the SP beach party. It is 80's themed. Love Is A Battlefield is on the speakers as I type. Huey Lewis and the News is about 20 minutes away. Right now I am just trying to live through the night.

Day 1 at SPC

2009-10-20T10:13:00.002-06:00

What I learned day 1 of the SharePoint Conference:
7400 attendees
7.5 miles of cable for the "wireless" LAN
Microsoft is pushing the SP Online hard - Ballmer must have said it 25 times.
Using the Office 2007 ribbon all throughout SP2010 and SPD 2010. Microsoft loves their ribbon.
Inside content areas is very wiki like, add pages and links using wiki markup.
Media will automatically play in SharePoint via Silverlight (work on a Mac?)
Spell check in content areas - which is a big help.
Steveb@microsoft.com is Steve Ballmer's email address, hit him up if you like.
All new programs (designer, visual studio, the 2010 suite) must be upgraded together to get the benefit, you cannot get Designer 2010 and use it with SP2007.
OneNote on the web is what SP is trying to emulate
Power of the crowd - tagging, rating, taxonomy - favorite of the SP dev team
Silverlight org chart built by sp automagically
Made social and interactive a lot better
Scaling up and out on lists and libraries - over 1 million items in lists, actually multiple millions - and it was fast in the demos I saw
PerformancePoint reporting (NEW) can break down where the numbers come from. Slice and dice. Very nice.
2010 is mostly AJAX - don't have to wait for pages to post and redisplay - which will save me HOURS per month!
SPD 2010:
You can restrict spd and what it can do in central admin and site collection Summary pages, ribbon, quick launch navigation
Creating sp content
Manage site security
Manage lists directly in spd, which is brand new - and awesome!
List items must still be added via browser - link on summary page
Security is faster and easier in spd
Create content types and attach to lists directly
Site assets - images, xml, javascript, css - everything for the site XSLT data view web parts are everywhere and can now be manipulated through the browser and in spd
Drag and drop functionality in spd for data files!
Site assets are automatically added to lists/available content
Insert formula to combine columns - cool, but how useful really?
Connect to data sources outside of sharepoint - use single sign on
Business connectivity service external content types - user does not even know they are editing a database
Workflow: reusable workflows! YEAH! Site collection workflows as well!
Workflow subject line can contain workflow data and free text (string)
Rich text editing for workflow emails!

Overall, SP 2010 and Designer 2010 seem awesome, but I don't know if I have seen a compelling reason to actually upgrade. Today I have dashboarding, document assembly in SP and Office tools, a special Colligo lunch (the SP offline guys), workflow overview, and finally a multi-user authoring session. It will be another full day.

Now I know what Catalyst attendees feel like. Too much information...on overload.

I Knew It!

2009-10-20T09:50:00.001-06:00

This elevator has felt like riding the Tower of Terror ride. I knew there had to be some problem, and today, it is closed and being worked on.

Mandalay Bay at Night

2009-10-19T22:23:00.002-06:00

Sure wish the camera on my phone took better pictures. The Mandalay Bay just kind of "glows" gold at night. This picture just doesn't do it justice. At least you can make out the words Mandalay Bay across the top.

My Room

2009-10-19T22:20:00.001-06:00

Just realized I showed you all the view from my room, but did not show you my actual room. Here it is. Notice the 2 queens when I specifically requested 1 king. Didn't even get an upgrade for that. The room is nice enough. Nothing spectacular. Cool to be in the pyramid.

View from my room

2009-10-19T18:53:00.001-06:00

Here is the view from my room that looks back down to the Mandalay Bay and the conference area. You can compare and contrast the two pictures.

The SharePoint Fairy

2009-10-19T17:05:00.001-06:00

Microsoft Fail

2009-10-19T14:01:00.001-06:00

Waiting outside a breakout session that is supposed to start in minutes. The room is going to be packed.

As I write this they let us in - but insist on scanning our badges to see what we have attended, thus slowing the process down further.

The Luxor

2009-10-19T13:40:00.001-06:00

Here is a picture of the hotel I am staying at (the Luxor). It is right across the street from the Mandalay Bay (where the conference is happening). Funny thing is - my room looks directly back this way. I will post a picture of that later today. I got this picture from out in the common area of the conference space.

So far today I have had an OK breakfast (don't like biscuits), a great keynote (lots of good things happening with SharePoint and an OK lunch. Had a good conversation with an analyst at CMS Watch over lunch. He was very interested in the vendor briefing system I help build in SharePoint (he knows about it because he knows Dan Blum, another BG analyst, who was bragging about it.

Alfreds of Sweden

2009-10-19T10:36:00.001-06:00

The demo guy just connected an external database to SharePoint, made it viewable in SharePoint and Office. And it is not only viewable - it is editable. Inside Outlook the demo guy edited the server list. All with no hand code - just enter in URLs and click some boxes. He used SharePoint Designer for this - which is my favorite program. Sweet.

The Keynote

2009-10-19T10:20:00.001-06:00

Steve Ballmer is keynoting right now. He is not discussing the economy because IT and productivity workers are bringing us out this poor economy. SharePoint is at the heart and center of innovation for Microsoft. Beta of SP 2010 available in November. Along with Office 2010 and SharePoint Workspaces (Groove). Workspaces will be client based and allow people to work everywhere. Release in 1st half of 2010.

More to come.

My Room...Wanna Take A Walk?

2009-10-19T08:44:00.004-06:00

I had been to the Luxor before, just never stayed there. It is an OK hotel, not great by any means. The Luxor seems to have plenty of elevators, but they control where and how high each elevator goes in the hotel. The elevator I am assigned is 3B, which is way in the back of the hotel (by the second of three Starbucks inside the Luxor). This is all well and good, except for the part where when I get off the elevator I have to walk almost half-way around the hotel again to get to my room. It has to be a 200 yard walk, almost directly across from where the elevator lets me out. See the picture below to see where my room is compared to where I come out of the elevator.

More Lines

2009-10-18T20:07:00.001-06:00

Walking out the SharePoint exhibit hall I was met with this line. Holy cow. It went on and on and on. Tom would be freaking out if he saw this. FYI: Tom is in charge of registration for Catalyst.