Look, I’m just going to come right out and say it — I’m a Dallas Cowboys fan. I was seduced to the dark side by little Wendi Jackson when I was an innocent 2nd grader growing up in lower Delaware. She casually mentioned on the school bus one day that she liked the Cowboys and quicker then you can say Ed “Too Tall” Jones, I tossed my Eagles fandom to the wayside and became a die-hard Cowpoke fan. I’m not particularly proud of this fact (though I still blame my parents for not offering better sports team loyalty guidance), but I have maintained my rooting interest in the team over the years, no easy matter considering I have lived in Philadelphia — the epicenter of Dallas Cowboys hatred — since 1996.
I share this with you now because as I write this blog post, I am in a supremely cranky mood. If you follow the National Football League with even just a passing interest, you are no doubt aware that the Cowboys lost an eminently winnable playoff game to the meat-packers from Green Bay just a few hours ago. Part of that loss featured an amazing 4th down catch by Dez Bryant late in the game in which he out-jumped a defender, CAUGHT THE BALL, fell down, stretched out towards the end zone, hit the ball on the ground, bobbled the ball, and then regained possession of the ball. Somehow, this was not considered a catch and the Cowboys lost and now I’m cranky and I’m supposed to write about the different CMEpalooza-related things happening at the Alliance for Continuing Education on the Health Professions’s 40th Annual Conference in…you guessed it…Dallas. I had this whole schtick I was going to do comparing the Cowboys and the Super Bowl and CMEpalooza and the “Super Bowl of CME conferences”, but now I’m not doing it because I’m pouting. I’m still going to write about the CMEpalooza stuff (because I’m rather proud of it), I’m just not going to do any witty football references or Chris Christie jokes along with it.
All that being said, CMEpalooza is going to be well represented at #acehp15. Here are some of the things Scott and I will be involved in this week:
Using Social Media in Medical Education: Are You Utilizing All Your Resources?
Technology Track: Thursday (1/15) Breakouts 10:30 – 11:30 AM
Texas Ballroom D
I (Derek) will be joining Brian McGowan and Alex Djuricich to talk about using social media in medical education (obvs). My role will be to talk about CMEpalooza and the role social media has played in the development and promotion of the program.
Hanging with Mr. Google (On Air)
Technology Track: Thursday (1/15) Breakouts 1:15 – 2:15 PM
Texas Ballroom D
Hey, this is handy — you don’t even have to leave the room (unless you want lunch, but let’s face it — this is Texas and you’re probably going out for dinner the night before and having a steak the size of Rhode Island, so maybe skipping lunch isn’t such a bad idea, hmmm?) This session isn’t about CMEpalooza per se, but it does demonstrate how Scott and I use Google Hangouts, which is the framework behind CMEpalooza. Scott and I are doing this one together, which I am now regretting since Scott is a lifelong Eagles fan and I may or may not have made a few jokes at their expense in recent emails between the two of us.
ReachMD Lifelong Learning Series
To be honest, I don’t know too much about this, yet, other than that Scott and I are going to be interviewed by the ReachMD folks on Thursday about our Hanging with Mr. Google session. I’m told the interview will be available in multiple formats, including video, so, more details to follow when we know them. Personally, I just want to know where my dressing room will be and who I should deliver my contract rider to (gonna demand a bowl of only green M&M’s).
Besides the above, you can find Scott and I roaming aimlessly around the conference center, so feel free to stop us and ask any questions you may have. We are always happy to talk about CMEpalooza and I promise to be less cranky by then.
CMEPALOOZA 
I agree it was a catch, fumble, and recovery at the 1/2 yrd line. I don’t understand the call from the previous week either in the Detroit game when officials picked up the flag and gave no explanation.
Packer fans obviously not too upset by the calls, but it highlights the limitations of the officials as humans and the error in judgement that is inherent. Replay should be the equalizer, not the root of mystery.
I too was swayed by a girl, a Bears fan no less, but I only asked her to marry me. Married now almost 25 years but I would never consider changing allegiance to another NFL team. As a GB Packers fan (like Romo growing up in WI), I’m no stranger to disappointing Sundays (but not too often in recent years). The only consolation I can offer is that there is always room on the Packers Fans bandwagon.
Have a great acehp15 🙂
Join the crowd. Iâm a Bama fan, a Texans fan and a Cowboys fan. Iâm not watching football again until next season!!!! Iâm depressed enough.
I really enjoyed this years ACEhp2015. My only issue was there were so many good sessions offered it was hard to pick just one and sometimes I picked wrong. I was wishing there was a way to video tape them and show them on demand to those still at the conference. Like an evening recap session or AlliancePalooza…so you didn’t miss the discussions around the slides. But I will survive on all I did learn.
And if I remember correctly it was on one of those calls that went Dallas’ way the week before that got them into the game with the Packers. Now we all can rest until Baseballs opening day.