PDC05: Day One (Breakfast & Registration)

Robert and I went down to The Original Pantry Cafe for breakfast. We each ordered two pancakes, they are huge, one egg over and hash browns. I took the next step and added bacon, thick cut and cooked to perfection, which I shared. The restaurant was just as great as I remembered it. The breakfast was big and delicious and fast.

We then walked down to the conference center to register and pick up our gear. This year there is a great bag and it can fit my laptop! The t-shirt is less interesting than in previous years having been inspired by the new less-is-more design style popular since the iPod. It may grow on me. We stopped to take pictures of the finish line for the Los Angeles Triathlon.

As the morning front desk person suggested I returned at 9am to try for a new, non-smokey room. We arrived a little early and sat in an inactive lounge area to fire up the laptops and paw through our gear. Just as I went to check out some code I found myself shut off from the corporate network. I had forgotten to change my password before leaving work Thursday and my 90 day timeout had expired! I am such an idiot. Though I felt terribly about it I called our systems manager on his cell and asked, when he got the chance, to help me out. The fellow I spoke with had nothing available yet and suggested I check later.

Robert and I left for the first pre-conference session (Windows Internals for him and C++ Patterns and Practices for me). Back at the conference and just before the session started the systems manager called back and I was saved. He described what to do and before you know it I had access to the corporate network again. What a hero!