I'm sensitive to the fact that not everyone is an MVP. If you're reading this, and you aren't then go back and find some of my posts that talk about my travails. 3 years ago at this very time, I was out of work and having trouble finding work.
Life has some funny twists, and today ends my first MVP Summit. Because I'm taking vacation time and paying my own flight, etc.. I'm leaving tonight and will get to Phx about 11:30, and be back on the 101 heading to work tomorrow morning at 7 :)
This was an incredible 3 days and my heartfelt thanks goes out to Microsoft in general for all the effort it takes to put on something of this magnitude, and the product groups for getting their guys over here to take time to not only talk to us, but to get our input.
I met some great people from all over the world, my MVP lead Eric Sassaman, Walt Ritscher, a keyboard/trombone-playing VB MVP with a penchant for Silverlight, ShawnSean Wildermuth.. 'nuff said, a DE (Miguel Saes) and a developer (Martin Salias) from Argentina, a couple developers from Israel (Justin - Josef Angel to name one), a few from India including Nibu Thomas who I shared a ride from the airport with on Monday morning and was the first MVP I met here that I didn't already know, then saw him again on the way out of the lunch area today -- stay in touch, Nibu!
I watched Karl Shifflett hold his own for hours with Nikhil Kothari and Dinesh Kulkarni -- now THAT takes a set of balls... I'm defintely not worthy!
I'd go to give my business card to someone to "help them" find something on SilverlightCream and find I'm exchanging business cards with Ambrose Iittle, Josh Smith, and Jason Beres... oh my... (can you spell Infragistics, managers, or authors?)
The VB guys that were so cranked up from watching Steele Price do Top Bannana that they talked Silverlight with me all the way back last night... David Glienna was one, didn't get a card from the other... great guys, very interested -- stay in touch!
A good 'to campus' chat with Tomoyuki Kawade... thank God for people in other countries having to learn English... we Americans are too arrogant to force our kids to learn another language, and I include myself on both ends of that comment.
Not to forget old friends such as Scott Cate, Lorin Thwaits, Rick Garibay, Steele Price, Dan Wahlin, Michael J. Michael Palermo, all from Phoenix, Erick Mork called just to say hello while I was in town!, Laurent Bugnion all the way from Switzerland again, and MS folks I'll lump in there as well: Mike Harsh, Nick Kramer, Adam Kinney, and Joe Stegman.
Initial meeting of Michael Washintgon -- I think we were brothers in another life or something, man -- just very comfortable and great conversation. Also met Chad Campbell for the first time, Bill Reiss with his wife and daughter, Rod Paddock of CoDe Magazine, and a bunch of MS folks: Kathy Kam, Corrina Barber, Scott Morison, Brad Abrams, and that whole XML crew with Irinel Crivat...I attended one session out of my area to make my schedule jam-packed and walked into an XML conference room with Don Demsak, 2 other XML MVPs, another non-XML MVP, Irinel and 9 other Microsoft people ... wow... was I overwhelmed, outgunned and felt stoopid :)
Everyone else that I met, send me an email. I'm about 100% positive I've left off many people..
I spent most of Tuesday sitting in a row that went like this, left-to-right:
Dan Wahlin, J. Michael Palermo, Chad Campbell, me, Bill Reiss, and Michael Washington
Two rows up was ShawnSean Wildermuth and in front of him were Laurent, Josh, and Karl two rows back were Ambrose and Jason... a room full of rock stars!
I look to my left and Dan Wahlin is being amazed playing with a Farseer Physics Silverlight app I nudged Bill Reiss who did the Farseer port to SL AND the app Dan was playing with, and got them talking ... geez... like a in-person SilverlightCream or something :)
So I took the badge off when I left the conference center and feel something's missing. Going back home will resolve that because it doesn't include all this, but it was definitely a good time and good learning and I'm very thankful I got to be here.
From out of work 3 years ago to the MVP Summit... a lot of hard work and learning inbetween, but wow...
Stay in the 'Light
-Dave