Nocking the Arrow

Just when you thought it couldn't possibly get any better, Schoology's national, actually worldwide, conference, SchoologyNEXT , was no ordinary gathering. Take one part reunion, one part celebration, one part mind-blowing demonstrations, one part dinosaur bones, and one part bacon; grab a thousand friends and mix it all up with a giant spoon, and BAM, you've cooked-up the tastiest conference event of the year!  Here are a few of my takeaways from this year's event, hosted at Chicago's McCormick Place , July 23rd through July 26th. Kudos to the planning and marketing teams at Schoology . I attend about six conferences each year, the attention to detail is unlike anything I've experienced at any other event. The signage, the badges, the publications; it was effortless to plan and navigate this conference experience. Admittedly biased because I live forty minutes from downtown, Chicago provided a perfect backdrop for this event. Excellent choice! T

Sweat soaked through my gray t-shirt as I walked briskly from Union Station to my hotel on the lakefront in Chicago. I was wearing a pack on my back, carrying a duffel bag stuffed with clothes in my left hand, and my Galaxy 7 in my right. Google Maps was helping me with distance and direction. It was very humid but picturesque downtown. I felt like I was missing things by focusing on my handheld navigator. I wasn't making eye contact with others, I was feeling somewhat detached, comfortable having a mobile guide, uneasy about not being fully attentive to traffic and other pedestrians. The light was red at Randolph and Michigan, this gave me a chance to look around, to people watch. I came to the realization I was not the only one attending to a smart phone. Seemingly, everyone, had one hand extended out front to view their LED screen. There were no eyes for me to make contact with, they were all looking down. The light changed, and I started counting people with phones unti

My fishing calendar app said tonight was supposed to be one of the best fishing nights of the season for our area, but I didn't catch a damn thing. Just as well, I needed to spend some time gazing at calm waters, doing some reflecting of my own. One of God's favorite angels received his wings today. My wife's father, Antal Gacs, died this afternoon after a vigilant, but ultimately futile battle against cancer. Pa, to those who knew him best, was 83 years old. He passed in the same manner as he lived, peacefully and with grace. A man of faith and a devoted family man, Pa served his country in the army. Even during his retirement years Pa worked hard and played hard. Generous to a fault, I'm not sure what that means, but he never let me pick up the tab for lunch, not once. Pa was very competitive. We used to play cards regularly, I think I only beat him at rummy one time. I asked my wife, "did he just let me win?" "Pa never lets anyone win," N