Pre-Convention - Day 1

I got up at 6:00 this morning and met Joe in the lobby of the hotel. We walked over to the International House of Pancakes for breakfast. Once again we learned just what it means to be in a resort area. My breakfast was $20, including tip. After dinner this evening, a couple of us made a quick trip the the nearby 7-11, which also had outrageous prices, so we had something for our breakfasts in our rooms. A pre-packaged bowl of Special K and 12 oz of milk was $2.98.

It turned out that the Children's Program can't get into the meeting rooms in the Hilton until 6:30 tomorrow morning, so I spent all day helping with setting up the Discovery Center in the Exhibit Hall. For lunch we took orders and sent two of the team to Subway. Lunch for 10 was approximately $51.

Here are my friends Joe and Trudy standing in the eight booth spaces rented for the Center:

The frame was waiting for us on a pallet when we arrived:

The frame ready to be raised:

It takes two forklifts to raise the frame:

The fully assembled frame:

Curtains up, signs hung, and carpet laid:

And the furniture goes in:

Four of us went to dinner at a barbecue place at the Sheraton. The prices weren't outrageous, and the food was good. After dinner, and the stop at the 7-11, we found the whirlpool and sat for a bit soaking our feet. After a day on concrete floors, it felt really good. Then we set up shop in my room to work on some of the ongoing projects that need to be done during the course of Convention.

And here is my oasis of calm in the midst of Convention madness:

I'm hoping that by tomorrow my body clock will have finished readjusting so that I can sleep through the night. We shall see.

The Children's Program starts tomorrow, and General Convention officially begins on Tuesday

On your mark...

Peace,
Jeff