and finally, for the ultimate field general of all field generals

hats off to you nancy, who shall hereafter be referred to in this blog (always in capital letters as well...nancy is definitely cap-worthy) as:

TANW

which...no, it's not cherokee, or even hopi...but is acro-speak for:

the asskicking nancy williams

and...for anyone who wants to piss and moan about this little point or that minor issue concerning the logistics of smb nation...remember this:

most humans have a tough time making sure their pants are zipped and that their socks match when they dress themselves in the morning.

nancy and the smb nation crew have been planning this conference for months and months and months, with little to no break, especially over the last several days. they are managing a group of 600 people, getting them fed, housed, transported, and in general kept safe here in the great state of washington.

and here's mostly what they get in return for their efforts: long hours, little chance to catch some much-needed shuteye, and a quick bite of whatever pickings are left over at the food breaks.

and has any of them been anything but completely courteous, sweet and helpful, even in the face of extreme provocation in one incident of which i am vaguely aware (and no...hfb is not talking about the drunken maniac which i blogged about earlier).

so...if you haven't done it yet...you clumsy oafs...

tomorrow...at a break, or in the morning, or just whenever....find nancy or one of the smb nation staffers, look them right square in the eye and say something like:

wow...thanks! all of you rock more than words can say.

quite frankly, the simple act of all us tech geeks actually looking them square in the eye when talking to them will mean much more than what we are actually saying.

i have many favorite quotes from dave thomas, the founder of wendy's, and who...in my not-so-humble friendly neighborhood happyfunboy opinion...was one of the most brilliant managers in the past century. however, one quote of his is particularly apt for this post:

when you greet someone,
look them in the eye and say their name.
it is a sign of respect.

we all piss and moan all the time about how, back home, no one ever leaves us good feedback, or appreciates enough what we do for them. do your part to break the cycle of idiocy by rising to this occasion, and simply saying:

thanks!