Vegas :: Sat., Apr. 14, 2012

In Vegas for the annual BEA conference. I'm staying at a small resort just off the strip. Nice view.

The White-Baer Wedding

What a good time. I have managed to avoid being in a wedding until now ... I don't think anyone has had an experience quite like this one. I am so pleased that I accepted the invitation to be in this wedding.

Now, I would not normally blog about something as personal as a wedding, but Ryan White and April Baer have been publically writing and blogging about this event for some time, so the gate has been opened.

The sign that it would be a worry-free affair began at the bridal shower when the bride-to-be told me that I could wear the dress I had on at the bridal shower to the wedding ... well, thanks, but no thanks. But what she intended to say was that it would be a laid back and stressless affair. I did end up selecting a dress from my wardrobe that was more like 'I'm a bridesmaid' and less like 'I'm attending the wedding'.

The affair was in the state's capital and the weather cooperated, if heat index of 90 is deemed cooperation; it could have been thunderstorms, which is what we got on Sunday, the day after the wedding. Oh, did I say that it was an outdoor wedding ... yeah, at 2 p.m. It was indeed brief, maybe 20 minutes, then to the cool reception hall.

The couple thanked their families prior to saying the vows and I thought that was a nice gesture. They had a celebrant officiate the wedding - don't ask ...

Then it was eating and dancing and drinking, well, folks had been drinking for quite sometime ... and this is where the story ends. When alcohol has been consumed from 2 in the afternoon until 2 in the morning, there are more than enough stories that can not be told here ... let's just say that it was a festive and memorable wedding - my first wedding as a bridesmaid. Oh, and no, the bride will NOT be changing her last name - here's why.

It's hot!

Here are some of the things I've heard over the past few days:

"It's hot!"
"I'm burning up"
"It's like an oven out here"
"Is it hot enough for you?"
"Can't beat this heat!"
"Keepin cool ...?"

Nothing original here ... just the typical quips. I'm sure that you've heard your share of these types of things too.

More pondering...

More of my wild, yet intriguing thoughts:

Internet access when on the road

• I found this to be somewhat challenging and in the end frustrating. I do own a laptop, so I expect to have some options for accessing the internet. And I don't want to pay some flat fee that give me access for 24 hours; I'm only trying to check email and enjoy my travel destination.
  
• The hotel did not even offer free wifi in the hotel lobby, which I thought was standard; same for the conference hotel.
  
• Usually, the conference will set up a location where conference attendees can check email; no, no, no, not this conference, not this time.


• How about the airport...? There is usually at least one free wifi hot spot; okay, so there was, but I did not have time to access it and when I had a very lenghty layover, I was unable to connect (for whatever reason). Oh, and how about a free wifi hot spot with some electrical outlets nearby ...

Battery life on laptops

• This is way past annoying! Who creates/designs these things? I think my battery life is about an hour. Again, that could be fine when I can successfully connect to some free wifi in a matter of minutes, but when there technical glitches, one hour is not enough time