Charlotting Around

The Three Generations of Ladies on Wingman's Tour Bus Last Week

I’m going to need some serious drying out time after this convention is over; the power of free beer can be intimidating. Well, not an insurmountable problem to overcome and I’m actually having a pretty good time networking with professionals from across the continent engaged in the same profession. The formal convention opening ceremony took place last evening and it was interesting.

The Opening Session

The mayor of Charlotte made a speech and was almost over the top in gushing her thanks for still coming to Charlotte after the whole bathroom/gender issue. I was kind of paying attention although I was constantly checking my phone to catch the late innings drama of the latest Reed Sox win. I may be getting as bad as the next generation when it comes to addiction to social media, I mean I am writing a blog so that ship has definitely sailed.

The Reception

There was a welcome reception directly afterwards which featured (you guessed it) free beer. This is where a lot of the networking occurred and I got the chance to renew acquaintances with some guys I hadn’t seen in years. The former political boss was in full feather pointing potential clients for his products towards us so we could extol their virtues. A poignant moment happened near the end when he came up to my excellent boss (whom he tried to fire several times) and asked for his help with a certain target. My excellent boss, being the bigger man, agreed to while I made eye contact with the other Worcesterite there.  We just shook our heads in amazement. I believe it’s called a worm turn.

Wingman (far right) Was in Arizona Last Night

After the reception another vendor took us out for dinner in a restaurant a little further out from the center of Charlotte. It was a lot more staid and less fun than the Saturday night steak house, but again, free beer. After dinner and being dropped off at the hotel the excellent boss and I made a bee line to catch the end of a farewell party (and more free beer) for a colleague who’s retiring shortly. We were in the upstairs of BlackFinn Ameripub a short walk up the street. A lot of my parent company execs were there and immediately started talking with me about their experiences taking over a contract in Panama City, Panama. Note to self – keep these people away from my wife.

I did get a chance to talk with that lovely lady several times as the three generations of women continue their L.A. sojourn. It seems the littlest one is acquiring more mobility each day, I can’t wait to see her in person in a couple weeks. I also heard from my sister with a Buddy update. He’s still fascinated with his cousin’s Remy’s cage. When Remy was sentenced to the cage for excessive exuberance Buddy ran and got into the cage before Remy could. My sister opined this was blogworthy, see below.

Buddy Serving Remy's Sentence

Finally I took the opportunity to wander around Charlotte a little bit yesterday. It really is a beautiful, if very corporate city. I get the impression the entire downtown has re-invented itself over the past couple decades. I’m sure having the corporate headquarters of Bank of America here had something to do with that. With the exception of a couple of churches every building seems recent and the streets are incredibly clean. I lost count of the number of theaters I walked by. Here are some photos from my wanderings as well as the obligatory granddaughter experience: