Agile training, my mother-in-law, Boise Code Camp, oh my.

Regarding Elegant Code, I have been an Absent Product Owner lately. Here’s why:

1. My 15 Year Wedding Anniversary
   As of yesterday, my wife and I have been married 15 years. I still marvel that an obstinate geek like me landed such a marvelous woman. She cannot even figure out how to turn on a computer, makes the best gingersnaps in the world, fulfills every wish I could ask for in the mother of my 4 kids, has a beautiful spirit, and is my best friend. Thankfully, it isn’t just Canadian geese that mate for life.
2. Boise Code Camp 2008
   I have been recently honored to serve the position of Boise Code Camp director. The 2008 Boise Code Camp will be held on March 8th and preparations are well under way. The organizing committee has had our first meeting and we are in hot pursuit of presenters. Contact me to volunteer or to sign up to present a session. It is a great event for our community and last year convinced me of the need for more sessions ion fundamentals. If you are reading this blog, you are very likely qualified to present a session at a Code Camp. What do you have to lose?
3. Boise .Net User’s Group
   Thanks to INETA, Scott Cate of myKB.com came to the Boise .Net User’s Group meeting this month and performed a very nice kata on the MVP pattern. Afterwards I got to go out and socialize with him, Richard Hundhausen of Accentient (MSMVP), Jason Mauer, and Mithun Dhar (both Microsoft Developer Evangelists), and Cory Isackson of Pets Best. It is so cool to sit at the same table with that much gray matter. I love being able to soak up the wisdom in a group this talented.
4. My Mother-in-law
   Actually both of my in-laws are in town for the week. That’s 7 days. You do the math.
5. Agile Training
   I have had the great opportunity to work with several organizations evangelizing and coaching Agile, Lean, and Scum practices. It is exciting to see organizations enact positive change and build a good community together. I hope to be able to do more of this work of spreading the Agile love. I have developed a solid curriculum for teaching these principles and exercising them in workshops.
6. Parent/Teacher Night
   The single most exciting thing my kid’s teachers could talk about at parent teacher night were the new Smart Boards they would soon be getting in their classrooms. I have lectured with these devices in years past and found them wanting on many levels. I suppose if you spend your day wih them you can truly make these devices productive tools in your instructional process, but frankly I don’t get it. Am I just missing something? The technology seems clunky and cobbled. Maybe I’ll know more after I attend career day and give do a refactoring kata for the 4th graders. (kidding)