The road starting to suck...

John Austin and Mike Heaton were on a double bill at the Abby Pub in Chicago.
Yes, I spent the day in a van with a crew heading to Minneapolis and missed the show.
Kim and Evan made it and got a few shots. I can't believe I had to miss it because of a crappy OS!! Thanks to Kim for getting a few shots...

Buddy...

ICU...

Poor little kid, she's back in the Hospital. Not breathing quite right.
*EDIT*
They got kicked at 2:15pm today (Friday) they are all sooo exhausted.
NAP TIME!

Road Saga...

So my weekend was not only way too short (I'm in DC now). Little baby Olive caught the cold that Laura brought home from the hospital. Poor lil thing coughing was a scary sight. Laura took her to a local ER and they weren't comfortable with such a newborn so they ordered an ambulance and took them to Central DuPage. Not a nice way to spend Easter. Kim and I ran back an forth making sure Laura was as comfortable as she could be just having a baby and then having to take her back. I missed church to make sure Laura got a break and something to eat. Being away from home while your family needs you, well just plain sucks. I sure let Kim know how sad I was to be away from them all and that I'm doing what I need to do right now to make sure the bills get paid but I'm not thrilled about it by any means...

I took a picture of all the Women (Kim,Laura, Olive and Amelia)
What I didn't realize was the expression on Amelia's face.
I Love that little kid...

Road status...

Blogging about work can be dangerous. All of us have heard tales of people being fired
after posting, shall we say, "negative" comments on their jobs. I am going to try and be vague about certain things and those of you who really know me just assume my true feelings and you'll probably be right.
So far it's been NYC,Harrisburg PA, Chicago, Cleveland,Detroit and Columbus. Each city having it's own issues that just drag out the day. We have a "Premium" show at the beginning of the week then a "Standard" show the second half. Premiums have an actual keynote on a stage with an audience of usually of about 2000+ socially challenged programmers. Now Steve A, if you chose to use your social and programming skills for evil, you could rule the world. 95% of these goofy guys are looking for a leader just like you so they would follow someone that can complete a sentence AND who has actually kissed a girl. You would be their hero! Ok, back to task...
Set up day consists of a 2 hour(ish) load in and a 7 to 8 hour room build. Every city so far has had venue issues that turn that build into a 10 to 13 hour build. Then the "Company" we work for came up with this brilliant plan. Let's have each city do it's own keynote show. 80 minutes of Keynote, demos, customers....
Issue. Instead of picking one dynamic presentation team to go out and wow North America, they went for the local guys. After a tiring set up we then have to stay and rehearse these people and let me tell you some of them just weren't ready "Let me try that again" NOOOOOOOO!!!! So for these days, up at 5 or 6am, back in bed by 11 or 12am. Hmmm....I wonder why I got sick on the road, no sleep, run run run.
Only one humorous story out of this whole depressing mess. In the Columbus Convention Center, the rooms were to set up in had to be at least 90+ degrees I went to the convention manager and they stated that set up day was not in our contract to be cooled and if we wanted that it would be 250 dollars an hour. I tried to explain that it's near impossible for fat guys to work in rooms this hot. "I'm sorry sir but the contract states...." yes, I heard you the first time. Ok let me start over. I am not working in rooms this hot, we are going to lunch, please clear it with whoever you need to and cool these rooms down, it's just plain mean to heat these rooms up and then muscle us for air. An MS person overheard a little part of my argument and got on her cell phone and called the manager of the tour who called her boss who called her boss the president of the MS tour division and told them all that my company walked off the job in Columbus. That president calls my company owner who calls my boss.
Here's where communication helps, on my way out the door for lunch with my crew, I called my boss to let him know what was going on. so when he got the call 11 MINUTES LATER!!!! that we quit, he knew the real story and put the fire out right away.
what silly silly people.

Home?

What a blur, 3 weeks out, 16 hour days, sick, MS, yada yada...
Needless to say I have missed much while I've been gone. I rolled in from Ohio this afternoon and brought Matzo ball soup home to sick my wife then took a duplicate order over to my sick daughter and her family. We all have the same dang cold. Amelia my bud was soooo sweet tonight. She cradled my face and said something. I looked to Laura for a translation and it was. "Hi Sweetheart" I just about gave her every dollar I had on me. Good Lord, I'm turning into my Brother in law, John. I grabbed the flash drive from my camera that I left there for pics to be taken and I got a few to post.

New Kiddlet

Laura went into labor at 6:00 this morning...
I am stuck in production poop on the road...
Officially sucks to be me right now...
*EDIT*
1:00pm, 9cm....almost here.
*Edit*
2:19 she's ready to push
*EDIT*
Olive (something, TBD) Turner
Born at 2:57pm
8.27 pounds,no clue how long (hold your hands out to about the size of a baby)
Everyone is healthy...
I'm a wreck...
Pics as I get them tonight.

A moments peace...

We got to watch Amelia this afternoon while the kids steam cleaned their carpets.
Oh twist our arms?

After a good cry cause Mom & Dad left, she took a little nap.

Kim also got home...

What an time she had...

NYC & Harrisburg

If the events of the first week are any indication of how the next 3 months will go, I might be in for quite a ride. I can't really go into many details because I think it might be better to not put in print how I am feeling. My position on this show director/video switcher guy.

and so it begins...

I'm sitting side stage manning the video switcher and directing the show for the launch of MS's Server products, otherwise known as the Longhorn tour. After driving out to NYC and jumping right in to build a room with new gear and such we got a pretty good looking set (will post pics later) Leave for Harrisburg after tear down tonight to set it all up again tomorrow. After that? 2 cities a week for the next 3 months. I will be toast and I fully expect my posting to limited and might I say, even suck.
My sister had me over for dinner before I left. A KILLER dish of Shrimp and Grits. I wish I had some now. Kim gets home today from Israel. SHe is glad she went but having rocks thrown at a bus in your tour group is a little nerve wracking. She was assaulted by people selling things in Egypt to the point of it making her not want to go back. Kim doesn't shop anyway so to have people actually put things on her without her permission to buy made her pretty mad. It will be a total 30 days we've been apart. Ok for some but we kinda like each other. I miss her...

So until I find the time to post, enjoy your thawing days.


Doug