On October 22, 2013, I wrote the very first blog post on the CMEpalooza website. A whopping 529 posts and 10 years later, we’re still at it. I thought it might be a fun exercise to go back and pick some of my favorite posts from over the years…and it was, but it also took wayyyyyy longer than I anticipated. Scott can do the 20-year retrospective in 2034 (note from Scott: If we are still doing this in 2034, something is seriously wrong with us).
My challenge was to pick just one blog post for each year between 2013 and 2023. Sometimes, the choice was obvious; sometimes, it was a struggle to narrow it down. Below is what I came up with for my final list.
Welcome to CMEpalooza!
Date: October 22, 2013
Author: Derek
Why: This is where it all started, the first CMEpalooza blog post. I introduce the concept of CMEpalooza with a question: “What the heck is CMEpalooza?”
Favorite Line(s): CMEpalooza isn’t big on rules. (Still accurate!)
A Word From the Co-Coordinator
Date: May 23, 2014
Author: Scott
Why: Awww, it’s Scott’s first ever CMEpalooza blog post. It’s so cute!
Favorite Line(s): So while Derek will rightfully remain the primary face of CMEpalooza, I’ll be chiming in on the home page from time to time with some additional updates and perspectives as things begin to take shape. (Narrator: “…and that was the last time Scott was deferential to Derek in the history of CMEpalooza.”)
Archive Update & Something Weird
Date: October 29, 2015
Author: Derek
Why: In a random post announcing that the CMEpalooza archive had been updated, I also reveal a link for a 3,000-word, CMEpalooza-themed ghost story that centers on a haunted Google Hangout. It’s probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever written, and that’s saying something. It’s also probably the most annoyed Scott’s been about something I’ve written. Good times.
Favorite Line(s): Erek is a bit of a wacko and admits that this may not have been the best use of his time. Skott just thinks it’s weird. (Erek and Skott are the fake names I used to hide our identities. That’s not nearly the weirdest thing about the post.)
Harnessing the Power of Introverts
Date: July 27, 2016
Author: Derek
Why: One of the things Scott and I are most proud of in regards to CMEpalooza is its appeal to fellow introverts, which I summarize in this post. Also, I manage to work in a little jab at Donald Trump, Jr., which is always fun.
Favorite Line(s): One of the (many) things I love about CMEpalooza is that it is a haven for introverts. You can attend a day-long conference without ever leaving the comfort of your home, office, or home office. You don’t need to arrive early to grab a “good” seat (i.e. in the back) and then spend the next 15 minutes looking at your phone in order to avoid awkward small talk with the person next to you. No walks through the exhibit hall to refill your coffee, avoiding eye contact with any of the exhibitors you see watching you out of the corner of your eye. And no standing up in front of a crowd of people to ask a question. You can ask questions, sure – just not in the usual “stand-up and be recognized” manner.
(note from Scott: Alas, Derek missed my personal favorite here, entitled “Addressing the Controversy Head On.” It’s a spinoff of the infamous Access Hollywood tape. I have missed the mark on a few political spinoffs over the years, but this one is still rather funny if you compare it to the original transcript and shouldn’t offend anyone)
“The Dog Ate My Laptop?” You Can Do Better
Date: September 5, 2017
Author: Scott
Why: A master class from Scott on the art of lying, in order to help people get out of work and watch CMEpalooza.
Favorite Line(s): Me? I’m an excellent liar. While that may be hardly something you’d think someone would be proud of, I am. (I am unfairly pulling these lines from their surrounding context. Still though…lol.)
Embrace the Uncomfortable
Date: January 31, 2018
Author: Scott
Why: Scott absolutely nails the opening in this one. Really well done. I am jealous about how good it is.
Favorite Line(s): I hate cliches.
I mean, really, who goes around killing birds with stones?
I can’t remember the last time I was at the library and didn’t explicitly judge a book based upon its cover.
My son spilled a glass of milk at dinner just last night – did any of us cry over it? Of course not. We’re not idiots.
Choose Your Own (Alliance) Adventure
Date: January 22, 2019
Author: Derek
Why: As a courtesy to folks not attending, I attempt to re-create a typical day at the Alliance conference by using archived CMEpalooza sessions for the agenda. But everyone knows the real action is during the breaks and reception.
Favorite Line(s): Reception: Invite a bunch of people over to your house for drinks and light hors d’oeuvres. As they come in the door, ask each person for I.D. in order to verify it is the person you invited. Give them each two tickets they can redeem for drinks and glare at them if they ask for another. Make sure you have a giant cheese ball, because a reception just isn’t a reception without a cheese ball. Walk around for 10 minutes, pretend to get an urgent phone call, and stride quickly out the door with the phone to your ear. Leave. Hopefully, when you come back home in 4 hours, everyone will either have left or passed out in the loo.
Everything In Its Right Place
Date: January 31, 2020
Author: Derek
Why: A combination of my CME story, early career angst, and love for Radiohead. My favorite post that I’ve ever written.
Favorite Line(s): And so I go to the Radiohead concert, paying way too much for my ticket, and have an amazing time. Towards the end of the concert, the opening beats from “Idioteque” – my favorite song from the Kid album – start up and I realize to my embarrassment that I have tears streaming down my face. I know this sounds rather mawkish and trite, but all I can think about is how lost and overwhelmed I felt while listening to that song over and over again as Secretary B and how far I have come since then. The moment got to me.
Why Do Some Things Succeed and Other Don’t?
Date: August 12, 2021
Author: Scott
Why: Scott writes about his love of books and libraries and explains why there are no longer any comfy chairs at Barnes & Noble (it’s his fault.)
Favorite Line(s): There were many times where I took dates to Barnes & Noble to sit and read (even women I liked!). Alas, I wasn’t exactly the leading Casanova of my day, though to my defense, this was in central Illinois where there wasn’t exactly a plethora of entertainment opportunities.
The Secret Life of CME Professionals
Date: March 25, 2022
Author: Scott
Why: We had better blog posts in 2022 — particularly What You Can Learn From a Tour Guide About Quality Education, where Scott compares the qualities of a good tour guide and a good CME faculty member and provides some legitimately helpful takeaways — but I selected The Secret Life of CME Professionals as my favorite. As part of a CMEpalooza promotional event, we required people to “tell us a secret” in order to qualify for a $15 Grubhub gift card. The Secret Life of CME Professionals is the blog post where Scott anonymously reveals some of those secrets…and the last one is a doozy. I’m still thinking about it.
Favorite Line(s): This is not so much a secret but just something interesting that has been on my mind recently. We, as humans, can only experience time linearly (back to front, past to future). But, considering our range of experiences, knowledge, and the theory of interconnectedness, we could in theory be thinking about multiple points at once. With onset of AI and considering the ~ get ready for it ~ ability for continuing education to teach humans how to perceive current time, we can in theory be learning at multiple time points. I know this sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo, and I am just a pharmacist interested in medical writing, but the ideas of learning on an interdimensional plane has the ability to reshape teaching, communication, and learning.
The Archive
Date: December 13, 2023
Author: Derek
Why: For reasons that are still unclear to me, I decided to write an announcement about the CMEpalooza Archive being updated in the style of a 1940s French noir mystery.
Favorite Line(s): I knew him only as Marcel, though I doubted that name could be found on any birth certificate he owned. He was hatless, wore a frayed and wrinkled fawn London Fog, had at least three days’ worth of stubble on his face, dark purple crescents under his eyes, a half-smoked Gauloise in his hand, and four more stubbed out on the tin ashtray in front of him. The only light at the booth emanated from a candle jammed in the neck of an old wine bottle, fresh wax dripping down to obscure the label, but that was all I needed to see that Marcel was as tense as an overtuned cello.
CMEPALOOZA 