Especially Early Pre-Gaming

I usually start doing my travel preparations three or four days before I’m slated to leave on a trip. I find myself in the position of doing a different kind of preparation this time. Anybody who has been reading this for a while has read that I’m going to the 20th Anniversary Celebration at Groundspeak HQ, GeoWoodstock, and some other things you will no doubt hear all about in great, possibly expansive, detail. I don’t really talk about the things I’m going to do until I’m done with them, but the cat is out of the bag (and, by that, I mean the schedule has been announced). I’m going to be speaking at the event. If you happen to be in Seattle at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 20th, you can come hear me address the assemblage about community building in Geocaching. I don’t think I’ll say anything truly new and innovative on the subject, but sometimes hearing the basics is a good reminder of things you don’t think about much because you’ve already internalized them. There will be some newer cachers out there, too, who have never really thought about any of this stuff. I think it will be useful. That also means I have to write what I’m going to say. Luckily, I’m no stranger to public speaking. I’ve already written a lot of it, but I’m sure people would like it better if I finished it and ran through it a few times so I can give it a polished air or some kind of crap like that. Truth be told, self-promotion isn’t exactly my “jam,” as the kids say, so if other people hadn’t already talked about it, I’m not entirely sure I would have said anything except in passing.

And now that I think about it, I don’t even know why I’m being all mysterious about “other things you will no doubt hear all about in great, possibly expansive, detail.” It’s not like I haven’t mentioned that I’m going to be doing Washington! It’s no secret. What kind of drama king am I trying to be here? Hey, King! Why don’t you apply some of that flair to your oratory! Jeez!