Near. Far. Wherever You Are

Wait until you see what I found in my pocket. Last year's iteration might have challenged the concept that "God will not sink this ship." There is a section on my job- strangely the training area where new employees are given the most challenging work- which I have compared to the second half of Titanic.

Almost every day. No Longer Virtual was held in Missoula, Montana this year. Many regular visitors did not make it, feeling it was "Too far."

Some of my favorite people had other commitments and paying work. They were disappointed they couldn't make it. As for the distance- if I can fly to Auckland, New Zealand for my birthday a city two hours north of Denver by airplane is more than manageable.

It gave me reason to visit my thirty-seventh state. I have known people who travel for work and have visited all fifty states. As for the distance: if Sarah set up No Longer Virtual Hawaii; no one would complain about the long flight from the west coast.

That would be expensive. These conferences always are. That is why I accept certain self employed people cannot afford it. The trick I use- it isn't a "Hack"- is to pay for the conference, book a flight soon after, preferably in the next statement cycle and the hotel is charged upon checkout.

It doesn't hit all at once. It also helps me that a lot of money is made at Christmas and the first two segments are paid before the season of overtime. As for Jewish Christmas- it isn't Hanukah although I anticipate this every year- this year had different pacing.

I set up my flight to arrive Saturday night. Later on I learned Rocket to Uranus was performing that night. It was less expensive taking a Saturday afternoon flight. Later on I learned Sarah and Bob's band was performing that evening. I see very little live music. There was no cover and upon arrival- I found the Black girl in Montana.

Anyone can attend Montana State. There aren't many Latinos up there. Don't worry about it. I have seen Sarah's band as she performed with Aaron Skogen and Ranjith Abraham. Too bad collaborative articles do not inspire memorable collaborations the way jam sessions do.

Never in the history of LinkedIn was there a "New Feature" better than connecting beyond the keyboard. I saw Sarah perform. I did not stay long enough for her to take a break and work the crowd. Some bands do.

There were some familiar faces in the audience. I did not want to interrupt Hannah on the dance floor. We spoke later. This was not my kind of dance music. Many were on the dance floor and I mostly spoke with Toddi. That is a good Saturday night.

Did I fall in love with Montana at first sight? Some residents do. It was okay. Don't expect relocation where rents are surprisingly high. Most of Missoula is closed on Sunday. The same could be said about Nashville.

Visiting an area that so vibrant the night before in Nashville- Sunday felt like a ghost town. That city has built up and hotels are New York priced so don't expect a No Longer Virtual in the capital of Tennessee.

The conference was in play. I didn't make day plans with anyone although there was the opening to do so. We began with dinner. This was where I lost last year's conference. Various guest started at dinner. I headed to the bar and the ones who were together for a while treated me like I did not exist.

This year I did not feel like a secret shopper. It was a good scene. When many are at dinner and I can listen to conversations- interjecting occasionally- I feel better doing this than listening to someone else's conversation. This impressed Sarah in 2020 and Heather in 2022.

I do what I do. What they saw as maturity was something I enjoyed being able to do. Being the center of attention has not helped me in life. It makes me a target and that was not the case.

Every year is different. Dinner was comparable to Hsu's in Atlanta and Eataly in 2020. This was not The Last Supper as that was while the country was shutting down. No, it was only the beginning.

The End of Near. Far. Wherever You Are

Thomas Jackson Will Return in Time For the Adults To Teach the Children