Long Time, No Hear

So it's been a quiet few weeks for you readers. The focus of my time seems to have shifted abruptly from training to work...partly due to injury, partly due to necessity and timing.

I've spent the past few weeks doing some isometric exercises and the prognosis is marginal. I didn't try it last weekend but the weekend prior (after a whole week and a half off) I tried a little :10 elliptical then a little treadmill. I was elated that the latter was going well, until about 8 minutes in when I felt the knee twinge. I stopped at :10 (my intent) but was bummed that it didn't go longer. I spent the rest of the afternoon doing ab work and swimming...then immersed myself in work...and travel for work.

I headed down to New Orleans for the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) conference. I was excited to be going for several reasons. The first, admittedly, was for the chance to network and get some good exposure for Northridge. I'd gotten onto a panel of a friend and former client, Mark at Sea Change on fundraising usability, and was excited for that as well as the general high school reunion feel the conference promised. I had the chance to connect with all kinds of dear old friends and former coworkers, clients, and partners.

Finally, I was excited because Dad was riding with me as my stowaway, and we always have grand adventures. While it's tempting to go through the highlights of the conference and our road trip, I think the best way to summarize it is a la a race report...by the numbers.

- Number of travel partners: 1 (Grandy! My Dad is a watercolor artist and is always out to get some inspiring shots for his subjects, and snapped up my "free spare bed and ride down" offer in a heartbeat)
- Number of miles driven: 978 (not counting the 20 mile side trip to Bayou LaBatre nor the miles Dad drove during the day to shoot photos)
- Number of miles walked downtown to dinners at night and shopping: 978 (ok, not really)
- Number of people attending our fundraising usability session: About 75, not bad!
- Number of former coworkers I ran into: 9 (Niemi, Cohen, Leta, Voelker, Stines, Ferraro, Herron, Labieniec, Cervino)
- Number of longtime clients and friends met in person for first time: 1 (Jed Miller!)
- Number of fans of this blog talked to: 1 (Peter at Convio)
- Times I got to run or swim: 0
- Number of hours I was awake Wednesday between the drive down, the meeting en route, and staying up late to compile the group's presentation: 20.5
- Number of flat tires: 1 (poor Grandy, on his first morning excursion)
- Number of times Grandy used the phrase regarding Crayfish "suck the head" then giggled: 14
- Number of great meals had: 3 (dinner at La Marigny Brasserie with Liz and Bridget from RedEngine Digital (one of our partners), dinner at Amelie with Liz and Dad, brunch at the Court of Two Sisters with Dad and Kristin)
- Number of "bonus attendees" at the evening reception both days at the conference: 1 (Grandy, duh, free food!)
- Number of near panic attacks: 2 (bridge across Lake Pontchartrain, whee for me!)
- Number of feet high the waves were on said lake on the way into town: 3.5, with whitecaps
- Number of tall bridges I surprised myself by driving over: 2 (somewhere in Alabama)
- Miles per hour the wind was blowing as we drove from Mobile towards NOLA: 40
- Times I was glad I wasn't on a plane in that shit: 40
- Times I wished that drive was over: 40
- Number of feather boas purchased: 1 (for Laika)
- Number of stuffed Armadillos purchased: 1 (for Tilley)
- Number of masks purchased collectively: 5 (mine plus all the grandkids)
- Number of shrimp boats in Bayou LaBatre: countless
- Number in trees, as was the case post Katrina: 0 that we saw
- Number or random trinkets for desk acquired: 4 (snow globe for the line-up, piece of driftwood and 2 oyster shells from Bayou LaBatre)
- Number of times I was glad that Grandy is my Grandy: 94
- Number of times I missed John: 24
- Number of times I missed the girls and thought how much they would enjoy the myriad of smells along the streets of the French Quarter: 11
- Number of times I was *so* proud to be representing Northridge and no one else: 147