2011 IRI

[Billfred]

After a combined 24 hours on the road round-trip, I'm back in Columbia in one piece and still trying to catch up on everything.

It's always great seeing everybody again at IRI--almost verging into family reunion territory with the awesome far-flung people, the slightly eccentric types, the newfound in-jokes, and the one who's just a little too fixated on the bourbon. A few thank-yous:

Thanks to the volunteers at setup for giving a guy as much of a crash course as one can realistically get at setup. I went up a day early to get a feel for things when we do SCRIW in the fall, and I feel like I'm better for it...and perhaps that I need to bribe some of you Indiana folk to come down to help us locals.

Thanks to 1640 for sticking around after the event to help tear down. Combined with the host teams and us general stragglers, we were out the door at 5:30. True story.

A big thank you to everyone who laughed at the talent show comments. I was sitting in the cafeteria minding my own business when Andy came up and said the words every IRI-goer thinks they want to hear: "I need you to judge the talent show." About three minutes and a cupcake consumed on the run later, I was walking across the stage and hoping I'd measure up against the great group of mentors I shared a table with. The first few laughs were a huge relief. (Also, thanks to Libby Kamen in particular for not freaking out too much when I put my phone on screen with what sure looked like her number. It was doctored, so anyone that copied it down: quit calling WUSC-FM here in Columbia. )

On a related note, a shout-out to the Daisy Style group. When we went back to deliberate, we each knew it would either be Ian or Miss Daisy. That performance was epic.

Thanks to Katie Widen for not actually killing me.

Thanks to whoever kicked the air into high gear. The hot gym on Friday showed the dedicated ones, but the air conditioning was certainly more comfortable.

Thanks to Chris Picone for being a pretty awesome roommate for the trip, Andy Baker for his hospitality, and Mark Kramarczyk for joining us afterward for a spell.

Thanks to the host teams of 45, 234, and 1024 for an event that went off with minimal hitches. This was my fourth IRI, and I certainly plan to make it for a fifth!

(And after this weekend, there may or may not be a listing in my phone that reads "Andy Baker Clap Clap Clapclapclap"...)