Laugh Loud and Often

FIVE THINGS I have done that you may not have, and may never want to!

1. Acknowledged in a Book.

“"Nam LaMore is the hardest-working PR man in the computer industry and who really helped me navigate the rough waters of Sun Microsystems in the days of Java’s youth".” (acknowledgment excerpt) Enterprise Application Integration with XML and Java, JP Morgenthal, Prentice Hall PTR, 2000

I've lost touch with JP through the years but I always think of how fun it was to have helped him with the book. If you're reading this (or someone who knows him), then please get in contact with me. As I get further away from the technology battles, I find myself thinking more of friends who may still be soldiers waging the ethereal tech war.

2. Danced with Microsoft's Bill Gates.
At one of my first professional jobs out of college, I was asked to work COMDEX/Fall '93 as a "break-in" assignment. The now-defunct COMDEX was a large computer tradeshow held twice a year; the Fall event was the more popularly attended and "wilder" of the two. My manager - "The Fiesty Angel" - was an extrovert and often caused a stir wherever she showed up. At a COMDEX charity event, she orchestrated a few of us to "kidnap" Bill Gates and make him dance with us to the tune of country music. Bill's watchdogs were completely caught off-guard by the shenanigan; besides, lots of journalists were at the event and Bill didn't want to be perceived as uptight.


3. Blew at an Armadillo's Anus With a Straw.
One of the charity events at COMDEX is the now-defunct Micrografx Chili Cook-Off. A silly part of the entertainment lineup at the Cook-off is the armadillo race. Companies sponsor an armadillo for the race, and the proceeds go to "America's Most Wanted". As with any race, first armadillo to cross the finish line wins. Rules are simple: touching the animal is allowed; however, a straw (or similar prop) is allowed to blow air at its tail to encourage it to run fast, and in the correct direction. Note: This image is from Dan Bricklin's Journal

4. Had a Sunset Picnic on Top of the Duomo Cathedral of Santa Maria dei Fiori, Florence, Italy.
During Winter Break as an education abroad student, I purchased a Eurail Pass and crisscrossed Europe on a budget. One of my fondest stops was Florence, Italy. My visitor's guide said the waitline for the Duomo Cathedral was worth it. I endured the long hours to be one of the last tourists to climb the cathedral's stairs to the top of the dome. Indeed, the wait was worth it: the last group of tourists were not rushed, so we enjoyed a beautiful sunset. A couple shared their picnic goodies with us: wine, cheeses, deli meats, olives, etc.

5. Slept in a Park in Singapore.
I went on a 'walkabout' a few years ago and stayed at hostels along the way. House rules at each hostel can be fickle. The hostel in Singapore was one of the strictest. I had missed curfew (who needs curfews when you're on 'vacation'?) and was locked out for the night; a couple of others also had missed curfew. We all decided to go sleep at the park down the block. Sleeping outside is not a problem in the tropics; however, we were rudely awakened at dawn when the sprinklers went off. Throwing insult to injury, the hostel owners warned us that we could have been fined for sleeping outside.

This post is dedicated to JP and the Fiesty Angel ... where are you? are you out there?