Yeah, my blood pressure was a bit high this morning. That’s not surprise. It’s August.
Let’s be clear, 126/86 isn’t very high for a blood pressure measurement … but it’s high for me, especially without the aid of breakfast or coffee. August does this to me. August is the month where all of my free time disappears, pulled in opposite directions by two black holes labeled ‘work’ and ‘Dragon Con’.
Dragon Con is fun, once it starts. Planning the damn thing is a mix of excitement, great ideas, high expectations, crushing doubt, and a constant drive to do it better than last year. Yes, I make silly videos in my basement, but I also coordinate the delicate dance of connecting five hotels to a temporary television network. When it works, it’s a fantastic volunteer-powered achievement of technology and crazy teamwork.
This, by the way, isn’t the job that pays the rent. This is what I do for “fun”.
My “job” happens to involve trade shows and technical conferences. Sometimes I speak at these events. Sometimes I work a booth. Sometimes I’m a content coordinator. For Intel Developer Forum, the conference with my company’s name on it, I do all of these things.
This convention is … yes … the week after Dragon Con. The planning overlaps. It always overlaps.
Did I mention that I spent two weeks out of town last month? Sunday I fly to Portland for a week, and I’m flying enough to where my upgrade has been confirmed a week in advance. Don’t worry, I’ll be in town for the last Dragon Con director’s meeting. Barely.
Make no mistake, I like what I do. My job is good. I love Dragon Con. When these events get running, everything just works. Some days we make it look easy … but it only looks easy because most people don’t see the planning required. So many meetings, so many rough drafts, so many nights in front of a computer.
I like conventions because they allow me to connect with people. That’s easy to forget when you’re neck deep in bad presentation drafts or videos with missing scenes. It’s very easy to forget when you’re not connecting with your friends thanks to unfinished work.
But I know that will change. Doors will open. People will take their seats. The lights will go down and the show will begin. Magic boxes will project images onto screens. Microphones will turn pressure into sound. People will laugh at some silly thing I wrote seven or eight months ago (maybe).
It will all work because we made it work. Once that happens, it will all make sense.
Then I’ll go back for another blood pressure measurement. I think 118/78 looks better on my chart.
Leave a Reply