CISOA, Day One
Did I introduce you to Rod? He picked us up at the airport! I didn't have to arrange anything or worry about anything, it was all taken care of. Rod is an APOGEE employee, and that's just what they do. Even if our whole itinterary had changed because someone left her phone in the bathroom.
When we checked into the hotel, I told reception that although my husband was attending the conference, I might be spending a lot of time in the room, and was there anything I should ask for? A view or something? He said there were no bay views left (wah), but he could give me a higher floor. I'll take it! Higher floors are better.. If your view is of the parking lot, you at least see over it. We had room 6111, which was easy to remember.
We had a view of the freeway, but also the green hills beyond that. And some car lots. But there were two sets of windows, so the sound was damped. You could barely hear anything. The room was nice, I guess, with flat patterned carpet in a darker neutral color, a king bed, a TV we never turned on, a desk and a sofa. No microwave. The coffee maker was hidden in a tiny closet, the smallest hotel closet I have ever seen. It was a Hyatt. Are they nice? The bed had no comforter or bedspread---none of them do anymore--just a blanket that was double-sheeted. So much more sanitary! And I never once thought oh this bed is comfortable or this bed is hard or anything, we just lounged and slept there without any self-questioning, and i guess that means it was comfy. It was dark, though. That's my only complaint. The bathroom was also not questioned. The whole place was perfectly adequate.
Dave immediately went off to schmooze or go to a seminar or something, so I stayed to unpack, which I really enjoy. There were plenty of drawers (but only fake ones in our bedside tables--okay, that gets an F), so I very quickly dispatched all the clothing from our suitcases and stashed the cases in the tiny closet, which was deep enough for both. Then I thought I would go check out the lay of the land.
The hotel was laid out like an Embassy Suite, with all the rooms on the outer edges of the building, and a big atrium in the center with a glass ceiling which let in a lot of light. If you had an interior room (which we didn't, thank goodness) you could (theoretically) go out on a balcony and look down on the business of all the people in the atrium, people talking and walking and eating and meeting. But I never saw one soul on their balcony, so I bet they were just for looks. But you could look down through the sliding glass window. And we could look up at you. Ugh. No one did that.
So, my plan had been to ride an e-bike along the bay and then take the trolley to Burlingame, whcih was a town about a mile and a half away. Well, I found out they no longer have the trolley (thanks, pandemic!), and the e-bikes are self-service Lime Bikes which means no helmets, and so forget it. Plus it was really cold there.
I went down to the conference, and Dave had given me the badge he procured so I could go everywhere. I looked around for Dave in the various meeting rooms, and saw some of the guys from VCCCD, and they waved me in and we had a chat. Then Dave texted to say he was in the vendor area and would let me in (it was not yet open to the hordes). The vendors were all setting up, and I walked around looking at all the booths. If there was no one at the booth, I read the brochures, trying to get a feel for what was going on in the world of higher ed tech these days. Some of it was fairly obscure to me, software for portals and interconnectivity and security and storage. There was so much! I hobnobbed with some of the vendors, too, if they were there, and that is always fun. I looked at the swag, but didn't take anyting, unless it was pressed upon me, because that is for selling purposes, and I was just an outlier. (Turns out I didn't have to take anything, because Dave later walked around and took a little of everything. He is not shy that way!).
When it was time for dinner, I joined Dave, but they wouldn't let me in. Apparently my badge didn't include meals. Dave got kind of mad and was going to walk off in a huff and eat with me, but I told him to go in and I would get dinner in the hotel restaurant. He needed to network! Plus, I love taking myself out to eat.
The restaurant was in the atrium. The servers were nice to me (they are always nice to singletons, contrary to popular belief!). I ordered ravioli, and it was very good, and I enjoyed eating it. I sent a pic to Dave and he said it was much better than his rubber chicken and the lame comedian they had for entertainment.
We slept quite well that night.
When we checked into the hotel, I told reception that although my husband was attending the conference, I might be spending a lot of time in the room, and was there anything I should ask for? A view or something? He said there were no bay views left (wah), but he could give me a higher floor. I'll take it! Higher floors are better.. If your view is of the parking lot, you at least see over it. We had room 6111, which was easy to remember.
We had a view of the freeway, but also the green hills beyond that. And some car lots. But there were two sets of windows, so the sound was damped. You could barely hear anything. The room was nice, I guess, with flat patterned carpet in a darker neutral color, a king bed, a TV we never turned on, a desk and a sofa. No microwave. The coffee maker was hidden in a tiny closet, the smallest hotel closet I have ever seen. It was a Hyatt. Are they nice? The bed had no comforter or bedspread---none of them do anymore--just a blanket that was double-sheeted. So much more sanitary! And I never once thought oh this bed is comfortable or this bed is hard or anything, we just lounged and slept there without any self-questioning, and i guess that means it was comfy. It was dark, though. That's my only complaint. The bathroom was also not questioned. The whole place was perfectly adequate.
Dave immediately went off to schmooze or go to a seminar or something, so I stayed to unpack, which I really enjoy. There were plenty of drawers (but only fake ones in our bedside tables--okay, that gets an F), so I very quickly dispatched all the clothing from our suitcases and stashed the cases in the tiny closet, which was deep enough for both. Then I thought I would go check out the lay of the land.
The hotel was laid out like an Embassy Suite, with all the rooms on the outer edges of the building, and a big atrium in the center with a glass ceiling which let in a lot of light. If you had an interior room (which we didn't, thank goodness) you could (theoretically) go out on a balcony and look down on the business of all the people in the atrium, people talking and walking and eating and meeting. But I never saw one soul on their balcony, so I bet they were just for looks. But you could look down through the sliding glass window. And we could look up at you. Ugh. No one did that.
So, my plan had been to ride an e-bike along the bay and then take the trolley to Burlingame, whcih was a town about a mile and a half away. Well, I found out they no longer have the trolley (thanks, pandemic!), and the e-bikes are self-service Lime Bikes which means no helmets, and so forget it. Plus it was really cold there.
I went down to the conference, and Dave had given me the badge he procured so I could go everywhere. I looked around for Dave in the various meeting rooms, and saw some of the guys from VCCCD, and they waved me in and we had a chat. Then Dave texted to say he was in the vendor area and would let me in (it was not yet open to the hordes). The vendors were all setting up, and I walked around looking at all the booths. If there was no one at the booth, I read the brochures, trying to get a feel for what was going on in the world of higher ed tech these days. Some of it was fairly obscure to me, software for portals and interconnectivity and security and storage. There was so much! I hobnobbed with some of the vendors, too, if they were there, and that is always fun. I looked at the swag, but didn't take anyting, unless it was pressed upon me, because that is for selling purposes, and I was just an outlier. (Turns out I didn't have to take anything, because Dave later walked around and took a little of everything. He is not shy that way!).
When it was time for dinner, I joined Dave, but they wouldn't let me in. Apparently my badge didn't include meals. Dave got kind of mad and was going to walk off in a huff and eat with me, but I told him to go in and I would get dinner in the hotel restaurant. He needed to network! Plus, I love taking myself out to eat.
The restaurant was in the atrium. The servers were nice to me (they are always nice to singletons, contrary to popular belief!). I ordered ravioli, and it was very good, and I enjoyed eating it. I sent a pic to Dave and he said it was much better than his rubber chicken and the lame comedian they had for entertainment.
We slept quite well that night.