I am a bit sunburned and my ears are clogged with ocean water after 2 days at the beach, so I’m a little crankier than usual this morning (and I’m usually quite cranky anyway). Plus, it’s still 95+ degrees here in Philadelphia, which makes us all a bit more on edge. I mean, I love the long days and nights of summertime as much as anyone, but it’s hard to enjoy being outside when you come back drenched in sweat after a quick walk around the block.
Derek was just whining to me about it’s been soo soo hard to readjust to the heat after spending the first part of July traipsing through the countryside of Ireland where the thermometer never cracked 65 degrees. Poor baby. Drown your sorrows in another pint of Guinness why don’t you, laddie? (note from Derek: excellent idea!)
Anyway, before my cranky-o-meter accelerates even more, let’s run down a few things that have been going on with CMEpalooza. But before we do, how’s about a quick top 5 list of the best ’80s songs with the word “summer” in their title, if only because I know how much I know it bothers Derek when I steal his “top 5” gimmick, especially with my questionable musical tastes:
5. Summertime (DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince) – Technically, this wasn’t an ’80s song since it came out in 1991, but I couldn’t find anything else for this list that I had heard of that wasn’t by Richard Marx, and I absolutely refuse to include Richard Marx.
4. Boys of Summer (Don Henley) – Even as a kid, this song depressed me. The book of the same title is quite good.
3. Suddenly Last Summer (The Motels) – I knew the song but have never heard of The Motels before. Let’s assume this was their biggest hit (note from Derek: it’s not. Their biggest hit was/is Only the Lonely.)
2. Cruel Summer (Bananarama) – The girl bands of the ’80s were the best. Love the outfits, ladies.
1. Summer of ’69 (Bryan Adams) – Bryan Adams was my favorite singer growing up (like I said, questionable music tastes), and this is probably his most beloved song. Even if it isn’t about the summer of 1969.
With that thought-provoking list behind us, let’s move onto a few announcements that are actually related to CMEpalooza.
First off, we’ve been working hard on the agenda for CMEpalooza Fall (Wednesday, October 16). We’re almost there. Hopefully, we’ll have something preliminary out in the next week or two. There are some typically quirky session concepts out there, and topics you won’t hear about in other venues. We march to our own beat (in other words, We Got the Beat).
Secondly, we wanted to announce a very special event that we are hosting this fall in conjunction with the Alliance Industry Summit (AIS) right here in Philadelphia. Thanks to an anonymous donation in memory of longtime CME professional Jason O’Grady, we will be hosting our very first CMEpalooza Trivia Night from 6-7:30 pm on Tuesday, September 17, in the Skyline Room at the Philadelphia Free Library’s Central Branch. It’s a short 5-minute walk from the conference venue and one of the coolest spots in the city, even if you are not as big a fan of libraries as I am. There will be Philly-themed snacks and drinks, as well as cash prizes for the winners.
Because this is the not-to-be-missed event of the year, we’ve invited some of Philly’s favorite sons and daughters to hang out with us on the outdoor terrace during breaks in the action, so this is what the general atmosphere may look like.
Derek is an introvert until the end. (note from Derek: Bryce Harper is allowed to come sit with me.)
Please note that you need not be attending AIS to come to our free event. We will have more details, as well as a link to registration, as the date approaches.
CMEPALOOZA 