Aaron Saray's Diary

My WMCPA Conference - 2008

WMCPA - Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professionals Association.  Basically, this is a conference put on for programmers on the system-I and system-P (basically, the old AS/400 computers and such... for those who aren't IBM slaves).  There has been a big push to get PHP on the system-I, and so this year "the triangle" set me along.  There also was other possible benefit as I'm trying to learn more about RPG programming as well as DB2 tips.  So, lets remember...

Leaving from 'The Triangle'
So, we were supposed to leave work at about 1 tuesday afternoon.  They rented 4 cars for us, and there would be 4 people in each car.  Kevin was going to drive, I had shotgun, and two guys in the back.  Well, turns out that somehow our cars were lost, so some people were allowed to drive.  Kevin volunteered right away, and said I'd ride with him (funny: they asked him to ask me if it was ok - if I was ok with that - and he's like "yah he'll be ok" - I just thought that was funny)  Another set of cars were driving.  Finally, the remaining people were taking a full sized van.  (We sent 18 people to the conference, the biggest amount from one company to the conference.)  Anyway, Kevin has a 94 prelude.  He's taller than I - so we both sat with the seats all the way back. It was kinda funny to see us get out of it.  Two big guys out of the tiny car.  Anyway, the trip was to Lake Geneva, WI.  The Old resort we went to was the old playboy ranch.  Pretty sweet place.  

We made it down there in record time - thanks to kevin's driving.  We stopped only once to use the bathroom.  It was kinda raining the entire time, so that sucked.   Anyways, we got settled in and realized we had a lot of time.  We went back up town looking for things to do.  We finally found a local bar.  We were waiting for everyone to call us.  Turns out, when they had called us, everyone was already eating.  So we went out to a Houlihans and had food.  Our two meals were probably the cost of 3 meals at the resort (and our meals included beers).  Hah.

The First Night
When we got back, we all went to the hotel bar.  There were two waitresses there, which we made small talk with.  Finally, more "triangle" people came in, and we started having more fun.  One of the waitresses was a hairstylist and had a show the next day.  I asked for the info.  Unfortunately, she didn't give me any contact info, just the directions to find the place and her name.  (Later on, we couldn't go, so I left her a note and my e-mail address and an apology. It would be cool to hear from her - she was fun.)

Later on, I was drinking anything they made me.  After about 8 mix drinks, the 'boss' came in and took over.  She was a little bit older than the other two waitresses, but was an excellent bartender.  I had a long island ice tea, and she said she made the best ones.  I said sure, fine, whatever.  And so she made it good.  Had some fruit in it.  I ended up having another one that had blue color in it so it looked really girly.  I had even one more.  

Well, should just say that Aaron shouldn't be allowed to have business cards after 8 mix drinks and 3 long islands.  When we were leaving, I signed for the bill.  It was all sent to my room.  I think the bartender knew we all worked at the same place, but I don't know if she knew where.  Well, like a dork, I left a business card - but one from 102 Degrees - which lists me as the owner. Hah!  I wrote on it - call aaron sometime, he's fun.  Hahahahah.  I'm not embarrassed, that was just funny.

Kevin and I hung out with some girl after bar time.  She ended up getting my phone number or vice versa - I can't remember.  But we txt'd some. 

The Next Day
The next day, everyone thought I'd have a huge headache.  I was fine, I just missed breakfast.  The conference was kinda crappy.  I went to the intro to PHP on the Iseries and stuff - and I am just let down.  The guy had been only looking at it for like 2 weeks or something and was teaching the class.  He wasn't really on target with most of it... but thats OK.  The basics were there.  It was interesting to see how the RPG programmers reacted to the notion of loose types in PHP.  

The keynote was pretty stupid, it was more of a sales pitch.  I think I txt'd like 200 times during that 1.5 hours.

Afterwards, I went to the PHP lab because "triangle" people said they were going.  Well, turns out they were going to the second lab, and I went to the first one.  There wasn't much for me to do there, so I ducked out early.

After Conference Day 1
Well, there was this thing called Casino Night planned.  Basically, you get some fake money and you can gamble at blackjack, craps, etc, to see if you can get more raffle tickets - and then win free crap.  Before going up there, we hung out in each others room for a while, and then went to eat.  Finally, we all went up there (when I say we all, I really mean just a few of us... I don't know where the rest of the "triangulars" were...)

While waiting to eat, I looked up at the chandelier.  I know we're in Wisconsin....

Casino Night
Casino Night was ok.  I won like 1500.00 and got three more raffle tickets.  I ended up winning a bottle of 4 dollar wine and two pads of paper... oh and a coffee mug.  One of the bosses, Brian, didn't win anything, so we gave him all our hand-me-downs.  He got everything but my wine.

After that, we all went to the hotel bar again.  I left early that day because I was bored.  Later on the ladies came to my room to get their room card (I had one of their keys... don't ask. ;) ... naw, I just needed to borrow it to get something of mine from their room when I left)  They made the biggest compliment of my life to me: those are some cute pajama pants.  HAHAHA.

Day 2
Day 2 was less worthwhile.  The keynote sucked again.  Also, I went to DB2 index and tips.  I knew EVERYTHING in there from working with MySQL and MSSQL.  A boss and an analyst from "the triangle" were writing a lot though, which made me scared... I hope that wasn't new information for them.

We were going to stay till the last session, (which ended at 6...) but it was freezing rain up home and bad down there already.  So, Kevin and I ducked out and went home.  The other "triangularites" were heading home at some future time (turns out just minutes after us).  

We left and went on our way, had supper, and went home.

Take Aways from the Conference
Not much.  Just, that its going to be difficult in that community to teach them PHP.  The guy who was teaching PHP had a mistake in his code... and then the magazine they distributed was way FUBAR with how it was doing (it was taking... well I wont' even describe it, it was just mest up man...).  The other thing that I ran into was the fact that I was probably the youngest person there... and the 'experts' treated me like a little kid.  Last year, there was barely mention of PHP on the iSeries.  This year, when I asked some technical questions about communicating with PHP to I, they just basically told me to Put it on the I or else!  I told my boss that its not worth our budget to send one of the web developers next year.

Random things
The internet sucked there.  I got on like only 2x for like 5 minutes, and it kept dropping.  Same with my phone. I  had to sit outside.  I was talking to cryssie, and I kept sneaking in, and it would drop. Heh.  She started figuring out what I was doing.

Here is where I ate one time:

Oh, and it took me a few seconds to figure out why there were both hand towels by the sink, and then on the wall too.  Do you know why? I know why now... der.

Oh - and they were giving away free shirts and stuff.  It was amazing how nutzo people went over that junk... or like this bag they gave us.  Ick.