The last thing, I won the election

After going into the office a couple hours on Monday I headed out to head to my work conference in Orlando. I was a little annoyed because I forgot to charge the Tesla to 100% prior, it instead was sitting at it’s normal 80% level. I figured this meant I would have to charge to complete the three and a half hour ride to Orlando. Surprisingly I didn’t although I did hit a supercharger when I got there. On the way I dropped Elsa off at Ali’s place. It was the first time I had her in the new Tesla. I had her small dog bed in the back so she was fine hanging out in the back for the hour long ride to Babcock Ranch.

I have been to this Hyatt several times now, it’s a beautiful hotel. When I checked in they offered me a glass of champagne, I accepted. This was the first of my consumption of five different types of alcohol during the reception evening. I also had two different type of beers, a vodka and soda as well as a mango White Claw. The alcohol kept me functioning in the sea of people where it tests my ability to be randomly social. The end result the next morning however was my waking up and feeling like shit. I had a headache for most of the morning.

Tuesday the vendor did introductions of all of their staff that were in attendance. Each person would say their name and describe the picture they had chosen to represent them. I was surprised to see a picture of a guy on an electric unicycle. He said he just started riding within the last year. Later on I tracked him down. When I told him I had been riding for 8 years and have a YouTube channel he stopped dead in his tracks and said “OMG, you’re Duf!” He has seen a bunch of my videos and is a channel subscriber. We had a good time talking about wheels and his experiences. He asked me for some tips and advice on several things which I was happy to share. It’s always bizarre when I meet someone randomly that knows me from the internet.

The conference itself was ok. My main focus were the IT Coalition meetings where people from other counties talked and exchanged ideas about a variety of tech subjects. Tuesday evening I met up with Todd, Mindy and Mackenna who were down at Disney for the week, just like last year. We had dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, a place I had not patronized in quite awhile. It was good to catch up with the three of them. It sounds like they were having a good vacation so far. After leaving there I met up with my group at Twin Peaks which is a more modern day Hooters from how it was described to me with T&A being a highlight. The place was much less full than I expected and I just drank a beer while everyone else ate. I was not overly impressed in any regard.

Wednesday morning I only had one session that I attended before I packed up and headed back to Naples. The drive back had less maddening I-4 traffic. Once again I got home after starting at an 80% charge level. I picked up Elsa along the way and got back home a little before 4PM. Unlike the California trip, recovery from the conference didn’t require much more than throwing in a load of laundry.

I decided I didn’t feel like making dinner so I headed over to Bruninas to grab food. I had not seen Meaghan in few weeks so it sounded like a good idea. The place was pretty dead. For a period of time I was the only one at the bar which was nice in a way as I got to talk with Meaghan more than any other time I can recall. It felt like a good way to slide back into my Naples existence.

While I was gone I was voted in as the new secretary of the small HOA our community has. The current secretary recommended me to do the role as she thinks I’m a good fit. I felt obligated to accept. I don’t think it will be a very big deal. They had a meeting on Monday night where they made all of these signs for the vote and then videoed it to send to me. It brought a smile to my face. It was nice to feel embraced, accepted and appreciated by my new neighbors.

So my return from the conference signifies the end of what has been a very busy and very social July, starting with my attendance of the 4th of July party, the trip to California, and finally the work conference. I am looking forward to a return to more normalized schedules but I do appreciate what I gain from pushing myself out into the current where I am forced to adapt to new situations, interactions and experiences.