If last night was any indication as to how this conference is going to go, I think we're in for one helluva ride. Gretchen's Ohana trip was a raging success, the pre-registration gathering was replete with cheerful attendees (both new and old), and a couple of people stayed up half the night to get the network issues put to bed. Yeah, we're going to hit a few snags – but damn, we're gonna have a great time here in Des Moines.

I really can't describe the feeling – which is one I haven't felt since last year's gathering. It's a feeling of pride – for both the people who helped put this together, and for the people who are here just for the sake of being here. We've set the stage for something spectacular. My only hope is that the Wi-Fi connection has enough bandwidth to back it up!

Right now, I'm dialing in on a 53k connection in my room. Gretchen's out grabbing breakfast with her mom. I was up this early (5:30AM) only because I was going to be on WHO TV 13 for a spot on Gnomedex. The show was four minutes heavy, so I bowed out gracefully. You see, we had a nasty thunderstorm roll through Des Moines around 1AM; it's effectively killed the power to many local schools. Argh.