Oysters, Crab Legs, and a Conference in DC

A fun trip last week took me to Washington, DC, for a conference. I was able to get out and see a little bit of the city on Saturday night. I flew out Saturday morning and arrived in DC by mid-afternoon.

That evening, I visited two cool spots. The first was a fun place to relax on the patio with some drinks and oysters. With beautiful weather and cool temperatures, it was a great evening to spend outside. I was with a co-worker, Homer, who grew up in the area, so it was fun hearing him talk about some of his favorite places from when he lived there years ago.

Our first stop was Ragtime in Arlington, Virginia. It was a lively place with plenty of people, and the food looked great, too. We had originally planned to stop in just for drinks, but we ended up ordering oysters as a snack before heading to our dinner reservation.

We had 9:00 p.m. reservations at Quarterdeck Restaurant, which specializes in blue crab and crab legs. Of course, I had to try the blue crab. It was a lot of work trying to get the meat out of those crabs. Granted, I probably did not know what I was doing. The little bit of meat I managed to get tasted good, but I still prefer crab legs. I know how to work my way through crab legs, and I was able to get some good chunks of meat out of them. The hush puppies that came with the meal were also excellent.

I ordered far too much food, so Homer helped me finish the blue crab. I took care of the crab legs and enjoyed a few of the hush puppies as well.

This was my third trip to the DC area. The first was way back when I was in junior high. I traveled there with my parents and my sister, Jen. I still remember that trip because we drove all the way from Kansas. One thing that stands out is that we stayed at the Watergate. I remember hearing all the stories about why the hotel was famous. We visited the Reflecting Pool, monuments, and many of the other sights around the city. It remains one of those great childhood memories with my family.

I also visited the DC area last March while attending a work meeting. Unfortunately, I did not make any time to explore the city during that trip. It was all conference and meetings. This time, though, I was able to get out and see a little bit of the area on Saturday night before the conference began.

After that, it was conference sessions from Sunday through Tuesday. I flew back home Tuesday afternoon, which made for a short work week. The conference was good, and I am already thinking about attending again next year.

So, that was my trip to DC, complete with my usual rambling updates about where I ate. I only took two pictures from dinner, so there is not much to share beyond that. With that, I will wrap up this week's post. Have a great rest of your weekend and a wonderful week ahead.

Networking, Sessions, and Southern Charm: My EDUCAUSE 2025 Recap

I traveled to Nashville, TN for work to attend EDUCAUSE 2025. I made several new connections, caught up with old friends, and had many conversations with vendors. It was a great trip, though I was exhausted when I returned home on Thursday. Still, it felt good to be back at EDUCAUSE. I hadn’t attended the conference since 2012, when it was held in Denver, CO.

This year, a new feature called Braindates was introduced. These were small group discussions with peers from other campuses and vendors on specific topics. I participated in two Braindates, and on Thursday morning, I led a session focused on upskilling staff. I really enjoyed the format and would definitely do them again.

I flew out early Monday morning and returned late Thursday night. Each day was packed with sessions, meetings, and evening social events. I also had the chance to eat at some great spots. My first visit to Nashville was in June 2024 to celebrate my friend Corrie's birthday, and we had a fantastic time. It was fun to return for the conference and recognize many of the places we visited last year. I’m looking forward to going back again to explore more.

On Monday night, I attended a vendor-hosted event at Husk, a unique venue that appears to be a converted historic home. It was a great setting to connect with colleagues, enjoy some excellent drinks, and eat well. After the social, a few of us headed to Broadway to find a Chiefs bar and watch the game. After a long day of travel, I left at halftime and watched the second half from my hotel room.

While EDUCAUSE offered great sessions and networking opportunities, I did have a complaint about the conference app. It didn’t allow me to add sessions directly to my personal calendar, which made scheduling difficult. I had to manually input events, and with vendor meetings and colleague meetups, it was hard to keep track of everything. At other conferences, like ELive 2025, sessions could be added to my calendar seamlessly. I was double-booked on Tuesday and missed some sessions I had planned to attend. Wednesday and Thursday were smoother after I adjusted my schedule to allow more time between meetings.

Tuesday night, I had dinner at Jeff Ruby's with a small group. The food was excellent—my steak was cooked perfectly, and the sides were great. It was a fun evening filled with good conversation and information sharing.

On Wednesday night, I joined another small group for lively discussion hosted by a vendor. I connected with CIOs from Johnson County Community College, Nebraska Community College, UMass, and UNLV. It was a great venue and a night full of engaging conversations.

It had been a long time since I last attended EDUCAUSE, so it was great to be back and reconnect with both new and familiar faces. I’ll be encouraging staff to attend next year when the conference returns to Denver, Colorado for 2026.

Have a great rest of your Sunday and a wonderful week!

Royals Lose, AirPods Lost, But At Least There’s Pasta... and Beer!

Another week, another weekend where I’m struggling to decide what to write about. Oh well—looks like it’ll be another rambling post.

This week kicks off with a work trip to Philadelphia for a conference. It’s a short one—I’ll be back Tuesday evening. Since my flight leaves painfully early Sunday morning, I decided to stay at a hotel nearby on Saturday night. Smart move, thanks to Carrie’s suggestion.

Before checking in, I treated myself to spaghetti and meatballs at Old Chicago in Kansas City. Pretty good! I miss the Old Chicago that left Topeka years ago. It’s probably never coming back, but a guy can dream.

I left Carrie and Oliver this afternoon and listened to the Royals game on the drive. We won yesterday to get back to .500, but today’s loss dropped us just below again. Fingers crossed for a win tomorrow to take the series against the Blue Jays. The trade deadline brought a few moves—hopefully, they’ll help us rack up some wins.

After settling into the hotel and finishing dinner, I realized I forgot my AirPods. Yep, left them charging on the table at home. Carrie and I have a tradition: we’re not truly on a trip until we remember what we forgot. I use my AirPods constantly, especially on flights for podcasts and music. So yes, I’m mildly annoyed. But hey, I’ve got spaghetti and a beer, so life isn’t too bad.

I’m planning to crash early tonight—shooting for an 8 p.m. bedtime to catch that 6 a.m. flight. Again, shoutout to Carrie for the hotel idea. Definitely better than waking up at 3 a.m.

This will be my first time in Philadelphia. My parents went years ago and had a rough experience—something about their car getting towed and a payment dispute with the city. I don’t remember the full story, but I’m hoping my visit goes a bit smoother.

That’s all for tonight. Wishing you a great rest of your weekend and a fantastic week ahead!