From the Inside Out

I think space travel is fascinating. It’s a feat that only a few people have accomplished during their lifetime. Whether it’s orbiting in space, visiting the ISS, or walking on the moon, it’s all very cool. Each time I watch the space shuttle launch on TV, I imagine how incredible it must be to witness it “live and in person” as it rises into the sky. Now, I have the unique opportunity to be there in person for the next shuttle launch, and I probably don’t have to tell you how excited I am!

Space shuttle Discovery is scheduled to begin a 13-day flight to the International Space Station with a launch at 6:21 a.m. EDT on April 5 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and I’ll be there to watch it! I’ll be joining a small group on a private chartered flight to Florida, and Neil Armstrong will be going along with us for the ride. What an amazing opportunity! The only thing better would be hitching a ride along with the astronauts, but I don’t think they will let me.

We plan to watch the launch from the VIP viewing area, eat lunch with an astronaut, tour through the space center, and be back home by the end of the day. It’ll be a quick trip, but well worth the time and effort, especially considering that the shuttle program will be retired by the end of 2010. Unless there’s an extension, there will be only four more opportunities to see a shuttle launch before it’s all over.

I expect that this will be an experience I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I’ll take as many pictures as possible and will share them with you in next week’s blog post. Until then, I’ll be eagerly anticipating my adventure.

Have you ever sat around with a group of friends trying to recall how many TV theme songs you can sing? Yes, it may be a bit nerdy, but it’s also fun. TV theme songs can include anything from classics like the Brady Bunch or Gilligan’s Island to newer shows like Family Guy or Big Love. It’s like instant karaoke, and it can be very entertaining. It also brings back fun memories, especially if you sing the classics from when you were a child.

I don’t know why, but I’ve always been fond of TV theme songs. I also have a tendency to remember songs from movies. If I hear a song in a movie, I always associate it with that film from then onward. I may not know the band or the name of the song, but I can tell you in which movie it appeared. It’s odd, but I guess it must have something to do with my love for music. I associate it with experiences, feelings, special moments, and apparently…movies and TV.

Anyway, the reason I’m sharing all of this random information is that I ran across a cool TV theme song video last week that I just had to share. It has a great collection of songs — many of which come from shows I really like — but what’s even more amazing is that musician Fredrik Larsson does it using nothing more than a keyboard, guitar, and a clone of himself. Check it out below.

After four long days with only 4-5 hours of sleep each night, I’m happy to say I survived another VoiceCon. Monday started early with team meetings in advance of the show. After lunch, it was time to join the workshops so I could tweet live from the event by sharing highlights, interesting quotes, and tidbits from the sessions. Later that evening, the show floor opened and the evening reception kicked off. Below are a few pics from the exhibit hall.

The 2010 Booth

TelePresence Room

Members of the team

The view at VoiceCon

Demos, demos, demos

On Tuesday, the live tweeting continued. First from the keynote and then from other workshops and panel discussions. I also had one of the members of my team working with a video crew on the booth capturing interviews, demos and whiteboarding sessions. It was a busy day. In the evening, we held our customer appreciation reception for about 400 customers who were attending the show. After it was over, the team headed to Downtown Disney for a very late dinner at a Cuban restaurant. Before wrapping up the night, we stopped at an Irish restaurant and pub for some entertainment and music. The musicians consisted of one acoustic guitarist and a violinist playing lively Irish songs. On some of the songs, a young woman would even step on the stage and perform a “river dance” along with the music. It was great–and a nice break from the stress of working VoiceCon. Upon returning to the hotel, I had to meet up with the video editors, approve the final cuts, and help upload the videos to our social media sites before falling into bed. I think it was about 3 am before we got it all finished…gotta love working a show.

Video Crew Filming

Our Tweets appearing in the show feed

Working the customer reception

Keynote presentation and demo

On Wednesday, I got up early and repeated it all over again. However, I was happy because it was supposed to be my last day in Orlando. I was booked on the 8:15 pm and was able to upgrade to first class. It was perfect. We boarded the plane like normal, and just when it seemed like we were ready to push away from the gate bridge, I received a call from Gary asking me if my flight had been cancelled. Surprised, I told him no (after all, I was already on the plane and nothing seemed to be wrong). Ten seconds later, I see the pilot grab the microphone. “No, this is not happening,” I thought. But, it was happening. The pilot announced that because of the massive storms in Dallas (which happened to stretch from Chicago to San Antonio), our flight was being cancelled. ARGH! It was the last flight out, so I was stuck in Orlando for another night.

View inside the Orlando airport from the Hyatt Regency Hotel (where I got a last minute room after my flight was cancelled)

Sunrise over the Orlando airport the next morning

Even though flights were still being cancelled on Thursday morning due to the weather the previous night, I was able to catch the 9:30 am flight which put me back in Dallas a little after noon. After arriving back home, I worked the rest of the afternoon and then crashed. It’ll take me a few days to get caught up on sleep, but I’m just happy that I’m home and I survived another VoiceCon!

It’s March, and it’s time for VoiceCon 2010 so that means I’m back in Orlando again. Same city, same hotel, same conference — the only thing different is that this is a brand new year. I’ve been here so many times that I’ve lost count.

I wish they would do something to break up the monotony…get crazy…hold the conference in a different hotel or…wait for it…an entirely different city! I guess that’s just too much to ask, so I’m back at the Gaylord Palms Orlando again getting ready for the show. The plus is that I know every nook and cranny of this hotel and conference center now; the downside is that familiarity breeds contempt.

The most interesting part of my day was the trip to the airport early this morning. Forecasts were calling for snow on Saturday night, but since temperatures the previous day were in the 70s, I didn’t think it would stick around. I was wrong. It snowed like crazy, and it just kept falling and falling all night. I woke up and everything was completely covered in snow! It was insane.

We don’t have a three car garage, so our Jeep (the four wheel drive vehicle) was parked outside. It had snow about 6 inches deep all over it — took me and Gary fifteen minutes to get it in driveable condition. Thankfully, Gary decided to drive me to the airport since the roads were in bad shape. As we traversed the snow covered streets, we passed a lot of vehicles that had spun out because they were going too fast for the slick streets. Needless to say, it was an interesting drive. As we got further South near the airport, conditions improved significantly thanks to treated roads and overpasses. At the airport, it got worse again. The ramps going to the terminals weren’t so well treated. They were slick, traffic was bad and some ramps were closed. Welcome to the second day of Spring in Texas. So much for global warming, huh?

Anyway, I finally arrived at the airport and had a fairly uneventful flight to my destination city of Orlando (if you don’t count the wind turbulence and the screaming child in the row behind me). After a quick cab ride in the rain, I made it to the hotel, took a quick break, and then got ready for our evening pre-show meeting. So, that’s the basic recap of my day. The show kicks off tomorrow, and then things will get more exciting. Until then, have a great Monday, everyone!

Mary Foley, author and radio show host, says that your fingers can provide insight into your personality. More specifically, it’s what you wear (or don’t wear) on your nails that can give away small details about who you are. Check it out and see if you agree:

• French manicure = classy, sophisticated, and practical.
• Brown = grounded, approachable, and someone with whom we can share our deepest thoughts.
• Pink (the most popular color for nails) = friendly, happy, and light hearted.
• Fuchsia = talkative, fun, and exciting.
• Red = energy, enthusiasm, and confidence.

But what about the women who don’t paint their fingernails? Interestingly enough, sixty-one percent of the women surveyed had naked fingernails. The majority choose to paint either their toes or their nails (only 35 percent paint both). So, if you’re one of those who prefer to go naked, it means you are willing to be your true, authentic self and show it to the world.

How polished are you? Regardless of whether you put a coat of paint on your nails or not, it’s important to keep them in good shape because that also says volumes about the type of person you are. Women with well-manicured nails tend to be confident and modern, but those who have ragged, unkempt nails can communicate to others that they are nervous, incompetent, and have low self esteem. Yes, you may be nervous and incompetent, but do you want to tell that to the world (or a potential employer)? I think not. Trim those nails, keep them in good shape, and you won’t send that negative message to others.

Ultimately, your nails say alot about you. So, pick your favorite color and let your fingers do the talking.