I have an informal criterion for a successful vacation trip. One - I have to go someplace I have never been before. Two - I have to eat some food I have never eaten before. Three - I need to meet some new people or be intellectually stimulated in some way. Yesterday's NE Tweetup at the Grog Restaurant in Newburyport MA met (and exceeded) all of the criteria. It was fun. Long drive up and back but such fun. There were about a dozen of us driving in from MA. ME, NH, and CT to put faces to names (or at least twitter names).
First two criteria were easy. Newburyport was picturesque seaside town. Cold in the early spring along the water but easy walking along the shops and side streets. In warmer weather, like in summer or early fall, it would be a crowded bustling mass of humanity enjoying the charm of the shops and the waterfront. The Grog was a cozy welcoming restaurant and if you get a chance teh sweet potato burrito is to die for.
The tweets were a diverse group. All techies of some sort but as these things go, we are at once all the same and yet all different. I think that in some professions you can introduce yourself as a lawyer, or accountant, or EMT, or nurse and folks have a pretty good grasp of what your job is like. In my world, we all do work in schools with technology, but how that plays out is so different. Partly designed but our employers definitions of what they think they need, partly designed by what we make our jobs, partly designed by our states and how they define technology teachers, we all were different. And yet, scratch the surface and the same problems, same issuses, same concerns are there.
I don't know that a couple of hours over nachos and beer yielded lightening bolts of insight leading toward universal truth, but it was nice to have conversations (longer than 140 characters) with folks who walk in my shoes. All in all very nice people. Nice to make some connections, some good info exchange, and perhaps some friendships begun. Thanks folks!
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5 comments:
Such fun to meet you and yes, 140 characters don't always do it. The f2f part is so important. As tech integrators we used to be so isolated. Now we have such an awesome network. Thanks for making the effort!
Great meeting you and your wife, Steve. Looking forward to more conversations. Newburyport is such a lovely town...glad you enjoyed your visit.
It was really great to meet you and your wife. It is true we all do the same thing and yet we all do different things. I greatly value the f2f it helps make the conversations richer. Hoping they continue.
I was very impressed that you came so far to meet us all. I wish I had a chance to talk with you and Marsha. Next time, we'll have to make sure we're all sitting at the same table. Thanks for being there.
It was a great chance to meet up with everyone yesterday. I hope to join in on more meetings like this in the future. Having more than 140 characters was nice for a change. Enjoy your vacation!
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