It’s no great revelation that my all-time favorite comic strip is Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson. I’d be willing to bet that a quick poll of U.S.-based Gen-X’ers would show C&H as the favorite for a large percentage of my generation. (note from Scott: I’ll go Family Circus, but I’m not really a comic strip guy)

My old C&H anthologies were happily passed down to my kids, and they still have a place of prominence on my son’s bookshelf.

Taking it one step farther, this is my absolute favorite C&H moment:

That last line — “From now on, I’ll connect the dots my own way” — has resonated with me in a way that few things have. It would be silly to call it my life philosophy, but, it’s kind of my life philosophy. I’ll put it this way — there wouldn’t be a CMEpalooza if I hadn’t decided that from now on, I’ll connect the dots my own way.

Fortunately, Scott also views life through a similar scope. (note from Scott: Some look at the glass and say it’s half full. Some look at the glass and say it’s half empty. I look at it and say, “Somewhere, there has to be another glass”). When Eric from Talem Health approached us about sponsoring a CMEpalooza virtual 5K run, we both agreed we would rather do something a little different. Thus birthed the CMEpalooza STEPtacular Challenge.

In honor of continuing to connect the dots our own way, we are proud to announce the fourth iteration of the CMEpalooza STEPtacular Challenge starting today! What is the CMEpalooza STEPtacular Challenge, you ask? Allow me to explain.

• The challenge begins today (April 15) and will go until the end of the day on Sunday (April 21)
• The challenge is to record at least 10,000 steps in one day. For each day during the challenge period that you record 10,000 steps, please send in a screenshot of your step-counting device with the number of recorded steps, either by email (thecmeguy@gmail.com) or text (267-666-0CME [0263]). Please include the following information:
  • Screenshot of number of steps
  • Date of steps
  • Name
  • Email
  • Physical mailing address
• For each day you achieve 10,000 steps and send in a screenshot, you will be entered into a random drawing for a $50 Amazon gift card (there are five gift cards; you cannot win more than one.) Winners will be drawn during the week of CMEpalooza Spring. You can send in each day individually or you can send them all in at once at the end. It doesn’t matter to me.
• The person who records and submits the most steps in one day wins a $250 Amazon gift card. Last fall, I implemented The Jamro Rule in honor of two-time CMEpalooza STEPtacular Challenge winner Amanda Jamrogiewicz. This time, I am updating the name to The Jamro & Riaz Rule, which states that the winners of the two previous Challenges are ineligible to win the grand prize this spring. That gives the rest of you a chance to win (no offense, but both of them beat y’all by a lot the past two times. I mean, a lot.)
• Everyone who enters even one day will receive some CMEpalooza STEPtacular Challenge merch from Talem Health. We’re still finalizing what it will be.

Thanks everyone and good luck!

CMEpalooza STEPtacular Challenge sponsored by:

If you’ve ever watched the Food Network show Chopped, you are likely familiar with the show formula. They set the clock for 20 or 30 minutes depending on the round, have the chefs “open” their basket of ingredients, and then cooking immediately begins. If that sounds hard, it is, though there are a few helpful nudges that aren’t disclosed to viewers (ie, ovens are preheated, a pot of water is put on boil at every station, contestants are given a tutorial on equipment before the show, etc.) (note from Derek: way to ruin the magic, Scott. Geez.).

Still, without fail on every episode, there are always chefs shown scrambling at the last second to plate their dishes before time expires (3…2…1…hands up!). I imagine some of this is constructed by the post-production team to add drama, but I’m also sure that a lot of contestants truly are working until the last second.

Well, with our special Spring sponsor event — CMEpalooza Gets Chopped — we are indeed getting down to those final seconds on the clock. All entries are due to me (scott@excaliburmeded.com) by 5 pm ET today. A few things to keep in mind as you furiously rush to do your research and send in your answer forms – this information was all included in our event announcement on Monday but is worth a revisit:

1. Did you know that there are prizes? OK, maybe we’re not giving out a life-changing $10,000 but we will be disbursing five $100 Amazon gift cards to individuals who successfully submit an entry and are selected in our prize drawing. Our special “10th Anniversary” bonus pool will distribute an additional $250 to the organization with the most completed entries.
2. You can submit up to three entries, but for each entry you need to answer questions about different sponsors. We’ve got 31 current sponsors of CMEpalooza Spring, so there are plenty of options for you.
3. Answers to all of the clues can typically either be found on the sponsor’s homepage or are one click away. I have not yet received any complaints that “this clue was too hard,” so presumably, people are finding all of the answers.
4. As always, one of our sponsors made an announcement after the clue sheet was published that changed one of the clue answers. You won’t even notice it, but believe me, this happens every year.

I think that’s about it. Now hurry to pull your entries together – the clock is most definitely ticking.

(Reminder from Derek: As one event comes to a close, another gets ready to begin. The CMEpalooza STEPtacular Challenge, sponsored by Talem Health, will kickoff on Monday, April 15. More details to come soon!)

Many of you likely heard the tragic news that one of our industry’s stalwarts — Ron Murray, Ed.D, CHCP, FACEHP, MRSB, PGCE — died in a car accident last week. Ron spent nearly three decades working in CME, first as Associate Director in the Office of Continuing Medical Education at the University of Virginia for 17 years before jumping back over the pond in 2013 to work as a CE Consultant/Contractor.

Ron was a regular at the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions annual meeting, which is where many of us saw him in February. Ron was extremely well-known and popular amongst his colleagues because of his charm, wit, and genuine interest in others. Ron was tremendously authentic – he always went out of his way to say hello to me and talk about how much he enjoyed and valued CMEpalooza.

Back in the Fall of 2016, Ron participated in one of our earliest experimental CMEpalooza sessions called Casual Conversations in CME, where we paired him with his former colleague, Jann Balmer, with the instructions to “talk about whatever you want.” While I was hoping they might get into some sort of altercation about the rights and wrongs of the Revolutionary War, they kept things far more civil and ended up discussing the challenges of joint U.S.-European accreditation and international partnerships.

Outside of this appearance, there were typically two times each year that I could count on hearing from Ron as he was one of a handful of individuals who almost always participated in CMEpalooza’s special sponsor events (he won a prize at least once that I can recall). Ironically, this is the week of our Spring sponsor event, and I’m sad that I won’t see Ron’s entries pop up in my inbox again.

Certainly, there are many in our community who knew Ron far better than I did and shared far more interesting encounters. There have been several LinkedIn threads where people have been sharing small memories, which have been heartwarming to read. Clearly, I was not alone in my assessment of Ron’s character. He will be missed.

(Note from Derek: I want to echo Scott’s sentiments above. While I never got to work directly with Ron, I was privileged to have the opportunity to talk and share a dram with him at more than one Alliance conference. It still makes me smile to remember him laughing heartily along as I regaled him with my adventures driving on the “wrong side” of the road during a family trip to the Scottish Highlands the previous summer. He was a big supporter of CMEpalooza early on and never failed to offer encouragement whenever I saw him. The world is little sadder today without him in it.)