Last Friday, I was flipping channels and stumbled across The Godfather Epic on HBO. This is the version where they recut The Godfather I & II to run as a single film in chronological order along with a extra scenes cut from the originals. A young Vito Corleone was just being placed in quarantine on Ellis Island, and I was hooked. Three hours later, I had barely moved and was screaming at Sonny Corleone not to stop at the tollbooth. Alas, it was the end for both of us: Sonny stopped and was gunned down, and I headed to bed way too late. What a great, great movie(s).

You know what’s not a great movie? The Godfather III. The same people were back in charge, but Francis Ford Coppola made the fatal mistake of casting his daughter, Sofia, in a key role. She, unfortunately, was awful and the entire movie suffered because of it. The lesson here is that your next movie is only as good as the people you have in it.

This brings me back to CMEpalooza. We need your abstracts for CMEpalooza Spring and we need them today. It doesn’t matter how many times Scott and I have done this and how good the past versions have been — the next version of CMEpalooza will only be as good as the people we have in it. And we want it to be good!

This is the last day we will accept submission. So, one last time:

To submit and abstract for CMEpalooza Spring, click here.

To submit a PechaKucha abstract for CMEpalooza Spring, click here.

Leave an abstract. Take the cannoli.

 

 

 

I know I don’t have to but I will remind you anyway because Derek told me I had to – CMEpalooza abstracts are due on Monday (that’s Feb. 1). The portal closes at midnight. Yes, there is actually a ceremony with court jesters and trumpeteers. This year, we’ve gone all out to hire a special guest celebrity to formally “close the portal.” You’ll have to show up at the secret location to find out who is it and what he/she is going to be wearing. I’m betting on something by Balenciaga.

But that’s not really what this post is about. It’s about tying things that bug me to something related to CMEpalooza. So here goes:

1. “If everyone in this room gave $20, we’d far exceed our goal.” This is such a cliched guilt trip for donations. You know what, if the rich guy in the corner gave $20,000, no one else would have to give a cent, you’d meet your goal, and I’d be happy. On that note, if every single person reading this post submitted a CMEpalooza abstract on Monday, we’d have at least, I figure, 5 or 6 abstracts. So get cracking, Sparky.
2. “Oh, I’m sorry, am I blocking your view?” Yes, Mom of the Year candidate, I understand that you got here 30 minutes early to get a front row seat and you feel the need to stand up during today’s production so that the angle of your phone is perfect to capture Little Anna’s moment of glory. BUT I CAN’T FRIGGING SEE! So either you sit your butt down right now or you get an elbow to the back of your head. Your choice. On that note, I’ll save everyone reading this post a front row seat at both our Spring and Fall events. See? Everybody wins with CMEpalooza!
3. “Wait, it’s due today? I don’t remember seeing an email about that.” I’m sorry, perhaps I should have put a flier in the mail and stapled it to your forehead. You got not 1, not 2, and not even 3 reminders about the deadline (that would make 4 reminders, I suppose). The deadline is today. No extensions. I know you’re busy. As my dad would say, “Tough.” On that note, we don’t play games like some other meetings where the deadline isn’t really a deadline and year after year there are “special circumstances” that warrant an extension. You really only have until midnight on Monday (that’s February 1) to go to the Presenter portal and submit your abstract.

End of rant. Continue with your day.

Hey, guess what? It’s my birthday today.

You know what you can get me for my birthday? That’s right — you can submit an abstract for CMEpalooza Spring today instead of waiting for the last day like everyone else.

Or you can wait for the last day like everyone else.

I guess it doesn’t matter.

Just remember that abstracts for both regular presentations and for the Pecha Kucha-type session are due by the end of the day on Monday, February 1. The next morning (that would be Tuesday, February 2), we’ll open things up for public voting on the submitted sessions.

Submissions are slowly rolling in, and we spoke to lots of folks who said they were working on something (you know who you are), so we’re hoping to at least match last year’s mark of 30 submissions. Only six days to go!

(If you don’t want to give me an abstract submission for my birthday, I’d also like The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, a new watch, and a 1983 powder blue Mike Schmidt jersey from Mitchell & Ness. It’s glorious.)