SolidWorks World - Day 1

It's time for another work trip! This time it's off to San Antonio, TX for SolidWorks World 2011, and it should be significantly more exciting than last year's thermodynamics conference. You know you're in trouble when computer modeling is the more exciting alternative...

. . .

I'm already off to a fantastic start - my beautiful fiancée was willing to get up at 5am to drive me to the airport! Seeing her first thing in the morning was definitely worth getting up so early.

Other than being recently engaged, this trip has started off just like all the rest, including my typical internal freaking out right before the plane took off! First I pray somewhat desperately, squaring away everything between the Creator and I. It's a cathartic experience (thanks JM for the word choice!), being humbled and repentant in a way that only irrational fear bordering on terror can bring about. Next I make a mental sketch of an airplane and the aerodynamics behind the miracle of flight, going over all of the things that would have to go wrong, all the reasons those things won't happen on this flight, and still develop all of my worst-case-scenario strategies. Finally, I immerse myself in as many distractions as possible - reading a book, listening to music, stuffing my face with food, and occasionally laughing at the irony of having so many dreams of becoming a pilot/astronaut. And then I pray some more.

I was, however, pleased to realize that my fear of flying isn't quite what it used to be - I even managed to fall asleep while I soaked up some early-morning sun!

Perhaps I'm slightly less afraid now simply because I've realized that if something happens I should just try jumping out of the plane. I'd consider it a far better alternative than crashing in it...

I would also like to take this time to thank San Antonio Airport. First of all, they offer free wifi throughout the entire terminal. Awesome! Better yet, when my Google Maps skills fail me, they also have a sweet old cowgirl at the information desk able to help me get to my destination! I caught the once-per-hour bus just in time, map in hand, and headed for downtown San Antonio.

Weapons of choice

Only in Texas...

Despite the aging cowgirl's best intentions, I still managed to get off at the wrong stop. Who would've thought there were two Holiday Inn's on North St. Mary's Street?! Thankfully, and somewhat bafflingly, they're only half a mile apart. Besides, the walk gave me time to soak in the surroundings. My first impression? San Antonio is a city going the way of the ghost towns. It was the middle of a Sunday afternoon, not a major holiday, I was in the heart of downtown, and I couldn't find a single place to get food that was open - coffee shops were closed, convenience stores, restaurants, fast food, all closed. Imagine Nicollet Mall looking this empty:

Perhaps they were under a winter weather advisory or something... It was only 50 and cloudy. Regardless, I managed to find the [right] hotel, get checked in, and unpacked. Always, always go for 2 double beds. One to sleep/rest/work, one to contain the mess.

Next stop, the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center. Turns out it's a pretty cool place!

Tower of the Americas

Tower of the Americas, cont.

Amazing landscaping

Christmas lights and waterfalls

Statues

All I can say for that last one is that it's a good thing we've got some engineers around to fix that flower pot! Come to think of it, a few of them even helped out with the BP oil spill!! They should be pros at containment plans...

While registering, I was politely informed that we were currently sharing the convention center, so if I found it beneficial I could take a look around!

How convenient...

Now for the moment I've been dreading - the SolidWorks Professional Certification test. 4 hours of grueling modeling to prove that you're not only competent, but downright dangerous with the software. Definitely not the funnest part of the trip, but (much to my surprise!) I ended up passing!

The coolest part (besides the SolidWorks-modeled guitar on the certificate) is that tomorrow night I will be admitted to the Professionals-only party! Finally, I've made the cut. I'm a member of the in crowd. At a Geekfest. But hey, I'll take what I can get...

I strolled (no, strutted. I'm a Professional now!) around the Partner Pavillion, which is awesome!! But more to come on that in a later post... I passed the Riverwalk on the way back to the hotel, and I'm definitely excited to check that out as well!

I should have more to report on the Riverwalk tomorrow, so be sure to check back! As for now, it's been a long day. Peace out, all my faithful readers! (a.k.a. Mom)