On the Fence? The Top 10 Reasons to Attend BarCamp Nashville

If you are still debating on whether or not to attend BarCamp Nashville this year, lend me your eyes and read on so I can convince you not to miss one of Nashville’s biggest tech events:

The Top 10 Reasons to Attend BarCamp Nashville (from my point of view)

10.  Beer – You know this event is at a bar, right? Nothing says “I want to learn” better than getting buzzed by 1pm. Seriously…this isn’t your average stuffy-know-it-all conference…this is a laid back learning experience and it’s amazing.

9.  Friends – I bet you know at least one other person going to this event. If you don’t, guess what? I can almost promise you will leave with a new contact that could turn into a great friendship/partnership.

8.  Me – Connecting IRL with folks you LOL with online is great. BarCamp is a real world platform to meet the folks you chat, twitter and FB with daily.

7.  Food – Even though you have to pay for lunch, the Barcamp crew provide coffee & snacks to get you ready to sieze the day.

6.  Ideas – If you enjoy surrounding yourself with people whose opinions and attitudes make you think critically about your own methods and practices…you’ll love this event.

5.  Rule – As in, the Rule of 2 Feet. Ever been to a conference only to get stuck in sessions that cover topics that don’t interest you? That is basically an impossible scenario at BarCamp. There are usually 3-4 sessions planned for each time slot, and if you feel you aren’t benefitting from the session you decided on you just get up and walk to a different one. It’s that simple, and no one has hurt feelings. You are in total control of your learning experience.

4.  FREE – Generally people love the word free. BarCamp is a truly impressive learning event and it will cost you nothing.

3.  Sharing – If you’re attending BarCamp, you’ve got something to share. Some nugget of info inside your head may just be the key to unlocking someone else’s mysteries. Share yourself! Because it feels great knowing you can help others…no matter what your level of expertise.

2.  Networking – Nashville seems a whole lot smaller when you have so many important folks in one bar. You never know who is going to be there and what opportunities this event could lead to. At the very least, you will come away with a few business cards and perhaps a few friends.

And the #1 reason is…..

1.  Learning – That’s right. At BarCamp, you’ll be surrounded by smarty pants. Attend sessions and engage in conversations to cram as much knowledge in your brain as you can. I’m definitely hoping some smart rubs off on me.

I’m Taken!

9/10/11

I picked an anniversary date he wouldn’t be able to forget. Jeff Howell and I got married at the Northpointe Red Barn in Jackson, MS on that date. The hustle and bustle of the day was amazing and it went by far too quickly. I spent the day getting ready with my best girlfriends at my hotel suite. Next thing you know…it’s 3pm…time for pictures. We drove to the Red Barn to finish getting ready. I slipped into my dress and we went outside for group photos. I didn’t want to see Jeff until the “moment” so he and his groomsmen took pics after we were finished and back inside. Then *bam* it was 5pm. Time to walk down the isle. My bridal march was an atypical song, “Nothing else Matters”….a Metallica song covered by Apocalyptica. I peeked around the corner to try to see Jeff for the first time. He was up at the front waiting on me. I was so nervous…just telling myself “don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry”. And I managed to stay tear free….until Erin Cubert read “To My Valentine” by Ogden Nash. I feel to pieces and stayed all weepy until the end. I had to strain to say my vows so my voice wouldn’t crack! We kissed then Woosh! It was over. Outside for more pics…then inside for drinking, dancing and food. There were so many great moments...twirling around on the dance floor…smearing icing on Jeff’s nose…seeing all our friends. The atmosphere was electric. Lindsey and her crew from dandyLion Events set everything up and designed the space so well, I could hardly believe I was in the same venue I booked. The lighting, decor and special touches were phenomenal. We ate cake, then tossed the bouquet & garter to giddy guests.  We left amidst sparks and sped away in a classic Mustang. All said and done, I was happy, exhausted and married to my best friend.

Change is Good

I’m officially changing jobs. I’ll now be working for IASIS Healthcare starting July 25th! I’m super excited to get over there because I know it’ll be great for my career growth.

The Gift of Skydiving

I took Jeff skydiving as a surprise this past weekend. He didn’t even know what he was going to do until we drove up to the airfield. A grin spread across his face a mile wide. I knew he had always wanted to go. I bought him one jump and myself one ride along. I have no desire to jump out of an aircraft. But the experience was amazing. The plane did a nose dive after all the jumpers were out….we actually beat them to the ground. Jeff said the jump was one of the best things he’s ever done.

My poor piggy

So this happened yesterday. I was wrangling my dog into the laundry room so I could vacuum. Normally I put him outside because he’s not a big fan of the vacuum. BUT yesterday,  my fiance went across the street to be a good samaratin (the storms from last week blew our neighbor’s tree down and he was going to chop it up for them) and he left our gate open. Since I was barefoot and our driveway = super-pointy rocks, I thought I’d just put the dog in the laundry room to keep him out of the path of the scary vacuum. Our laundry room is pretty small. By the time I got our 75lb dog in there, I was scrambling to get out. I kicked the doorframe. &*%$#@!. Expletives came spewing forth; I thought I stubbed my toes. No big deal. Till I looked down. My poor, poor pinky toe on my right foot was slightly askew. That’s when I know something was afoot. (zing!) The ER was not fun. They took 3 x-rays but said they couldn’t use them because they were “inconclusive”. The nurse decides to numb me up so they can move my toe around. She starts injecting a TON of numbing fluid into my toe. So much that the pressure from the fluid caused the bone to slip back into place. I shouldn’t say slip, I should say ohholyhellmytoeisfallingoff POPPED back into place. Then they took a second round of x-rays and viola! Bone is fine! Just a few fragments floating around, but I should be good. They buddy taped my toes together (quote from the nurse while taping “Let’s be friends!”) and gave me pain meds. Sweet, sweet pain meds. It still hurts like a sumbish, but at least I’ll be able to sleep. Moral of the story? Always wear sneakers when doing housework.

Things I learned from my first Triathlon

1. The pool is cold. Get over it.
2. S*** happens. Keep going.
3. Don’t lean on your right handle bar on your crappy used bike because it will cause the gear cylinder to malfunction and your bike will refuse to change gears. (that’s a big one)
4. Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. Pee. Pee. Pee.
5. Hair is super unruly when you swim + run to a transition area. Braid it.
6. Yay for sunscreen!
7. Running shorts are probably a better choice than spandex crop pants on a race day. Pulling on spandex pants when wet does not work out so well.
8. Having friends there to support you is awesome. It feels so good to have a crowd cheering you over the finish line (thanks amanda, kelly, erin, matt & jeff)
9. Sweet Ce-Ce’s gives out coupons but they don’t open until 3 hours after the race is done. So have a post-race treat back up plan.
10. Finishing a race feels amazing!

OBTW How the heck did I miss this?

Don’t ask me why I didn’t immediately blog about this……I’m tellin’ ya folks, that’s just how busy I’ve been lately. Jeff & I went to Breckenridge Colorado in February for some awesome R&R and he proposed on the side of Peak 9. Dropped to his knees on his snowboard on a gorgeous mountaintop. It was amazing and the most beautiful thing I could have ever imagined. The ring was custom designed for me including symbols that are close to my heart. The date is September 10th and I can’t wait! If you want more sappy, wedding-y blog entries, check out http://pineappleandpomegranate.com      =)

PodCamp Nashville 2011: Express Yourself

It’s that time again! I’m revving up for PodCamp 2011. Although I could not commit to being on the planning committee this year, I’m volunteering day-of with all the fine folks who stepped up to make this the best PC yet! And I encourage you to do so as well. Volunteering is a great way to get your hands dirty (so to speak) in the tech and creative community. I’ve volunteered at PodCamp and BarCamp before and let me tell you, it was well worth it. You’ll have to be up early because the setup normally starts way before the doors open. All the volunteers are usually buzzing around doing various projects. Hanging signs, plugging in surge protectors and gathering swag bags are a few of the various jobs that have to be done. What makes this event so great is how smoothly it runs, and that is not by accident! Lots of hands make quick work of the setup and finishing touches. Even though the morning is fast paced, there are great networking opportunities. You never know who you’ll be brushing elbows with! So be sure to volunteer for PodCamp this year. You won’t regret it! See you there =)

99ft Rope Swing

BarCamp 2010

Goodness, time has flown. I’ve been so busy with so much going on, where to start? Well let’s just pick up right where I am now, shall we? I’m the Marketing Coordinator for BarCamp this year. I’ve been working with the design, copywriting and web teams to make sure the event is promoted successfully. I’m also speaking at BarCamp this year. Yep. My topic is Time Management: How to make everyone think you own a flux capacitor. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. That being said, October is the busiest month I’m going to have all year. Projects, work and volunteering have me pulled in so many different directions, I hope there’s a bit of my sanity left when it’s over.