I’m flying out Sunday via Alaska Air, taking the direct flight from Orlando to Seattle, arriving at 11:40 am. If you’re there about the same time and want to share a ride in, email me. I’m staying at the Sheraton only because that’s where the Board stays, otherwise I’ve always preferred a hotel a few blocks away, I like the 3-4 block to/from “work” every day to unwind. Maybe I’ll just walk around the block to accomplish the same!

Don Gabor is coming in Sunday afternoon and we’re planning to have dinner and chat, and if you’re in Seattle and want to join us, drop me an email. Not sure where dinner will be, but someplace between the Sheraton and the water front. In between I’ll check in with PASS HQ and see how things are going, and probably just see who I run into.

On Monday I’ll be in the volunteer session in the afternoon and then in Don’s networking seminar from 4:30-6:30. Then it’s off to the opening reception, and then the SSC party, where Steve makes me pay $30 to get in!

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I’ll be present for the keynote (rarely the best part of the day in my view), and I’m going to go to a few sessions, with a focus on seeing speakers that I have not seen before. I’m going to try to be there for lunch on Tues & Wed to network and facilitate networking. The food is ok, but usually I’m ready for a walk and something besides convention center food – we’ll see. Thursday having lunch with a friend. I’ve left evenings open so far, I’ll probably hit the expo Tuesday night, and other than that will see what else comes up.

Tuesday at lunch I'll be hosting one of the Birds of a Feather (BOF) sessions titled 'When and How to Participate in the SQL Server Community'. I hope you'll join me for lunch and discussion!

Friday I have a board meeting in the morning, and then fly out at a fairly horrible 10:30 pm on Delta to eventually make it back to Orlando at 9 am the next morning. Long flight, long week!

Want to talk blogs, SQL, woodworking, PASS, SQLSaturday, mentoring, careers, family, business? Or pretty much anything else other than politics? I won’t be too hard to find, very often it’ll be at the top of the escalator on the session floor or at the coffee shop on the third floor, or somewhere in between.  Email me, or try me on Twitter @SQLAndy – though be warned I’m new to Twitter and could easily get it wrong. I’m going to set a goal of meeting 50 people that I don’t know. Is that a impossible, or too easy? Don’t know, but it’s a start.