So Tutorial Day at php[world] 2015 is over. I saw Chuck Reeves present on "Zend Framework Foundations" in the morning and Michelangelo van Dam present on "Test, Create, Secure, Repeat". Both were good, but I got the most out of Michelangelo's talk.

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Well, getting here has been interesting. I wasn't able to get things ready as quickly as I had hoped and left half an hour after my internal drop-dead time and 1½ hours after I had hoped. So I was a bit stressed. Then Southwest texted me as I was on the 2½ hour trip to the airport...my flight was delayed by 30 then 70 minutes. Phew. But I would have made the original flight anyway.

After finding out my flight was delayed I stopped and texted my wife. Would I be able to catch the Metro once I get to DC. Well, I was going to be able to catch the last run, at least. There was one scheduled just after I was expected to land at 10:39. And then there was the last run at 11:07. Well, that gets me there but it means walking to the hotel from the station around midnight. It was after 10:00 pm last year, so I wasn't terribly concerned.

Of course, I got off at the wrong stop. Luckily, there was one more train running. I got it and checked into the hotel after midnight.

I'm here!

Today I leave for Washington, DC, to go to php[world]. This is the second edition of this conference, and my second trip. I'm looking forward to seeing people I met for the first time last year and meeting new people. And I'm definitely looking forward to sitting in on all the awesome talks that I can.

And then there's the mystery. Cal Evans is "planning sumthin' different" for non-presenting attendees. I was one of the first to volunteer, so I'm a bit anxious to see what comes of it.

And finally, Drupal 8 is releasing on the 19th, so there will be a release party at the conference. Congratulations to Drupal; I know this was a huge undertaking. And thanks to your hard work, I might get cake. ;-)

Of course, it's not all wonderful. I'll be away from my family for five whole days. This isn't something that happens often. In fact, the last time was for php[world] last year. I think they'll all get along fine, though. Except maybe Sparky, the new puppy. I think he's going to miss me taking him out a couple times a night. It's a busy week for them and I'm feeling a bit guilty for not being able to help keep everything moving. Anyway, I'll miss you all!

Besides that, the hardest part is packing and getting everything done that I need to do before I leave: packing, getting the basic service on the car, and, hardest of all, getting a new laptop ready. I'd take the one I'm writing this on, but it is a 10 year old beast that only gets about an hour per battery charge. So...on to doing that :)

This is my hello world post. While I've been present here and there for quite some time (occasionally tweeting, working on GitHub, etc.), I've not had a true presence of my own. My goal is for this blog to be that presence.

So...what will I put here? Probably posts about programming (I'm currently actively using PHP and JavaScript, along with other web technologies such as HTML and CSS). Maybe posts about technology. Possibly posts about music (I'm learning to play the hammered dulcimer, for instance). And rarely about my family, as I like to keep that a bit more private.

And when will I post? How often? My goal is to post at least once every two weeks, with once or twice a week ideal. Will I manage that? Who knows? I'm notoriously bad at keeping up on such things. But I am hopeful.

In the meantime, read about me and maybe check out my GitHub page or my deviantArt page.

And check back again soon :)