Welcome to Birmingham!

I must tell you that despite my classification in IT consulting and software development (or maybe because of it!), I am very critical of technology fads. I don't just jump on the bandwagon; I have to really understand how a technology will help me before I will use it. I am not a big fan of blogs and social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter. I don't believe my personal life and my random thoughts should be fodder for conversation by my peers, much less strangers, unless I'm part of that conversation, too.

I came to realize last week, though, that I finally have something to share that makes a blog the best medium by which to do so. The Rotary Club of Spruce Grove sent me to Birmingham, so I feel obliged to let you know what I'm doing with my time at the 2009 Rotary International Convention. Many Rotarians tell me that they only really began to appreciate Rotary while they were attending their first international convention. Since I couldn't bring you all along, maybe you'll appreciate what I can share instead.

On June 19, after nine hours of flight, an hour spent in two of London's busiest train/tube stations, and an hour on the train, Krista and I stepped out from the Coventry train station into a splendid, sunny English afternoon. Coventry is a city in England's West Midlands about 10 minutes by train southeast of Birmingham's National Exhibition Center, where the conference is being held.

We're staying at Spireview Guesthouse, a B&B that's a stone's throw from the train station in Coventry and the city's historic center. On Friday afternoon, after getting settled, we walked around the city a bit to get our bearings and then promptly slept off some of the jet lag.

This morning, we took the short train ride to the exhibition center and registered for the conference, picked up our tickets to the hospitality events, and attended the opening of the House of Friendship. The Lord Mayor of Birmingham and RI President D.K. Lee both gave remarks to open the House of Friendship, but the official conference opening isn't until tomorrow.

I don't have much more time to write, as my Internet access is limited here... I'll just for now that it was great to run into some familiar faces - we saw Elly and Ramiro first, then we ran into Dee Louis from Stony Plain later. While touring the House of Friendship, we ran into Al and Shirley Bergsma. Shirley and I had known each other a bit from our days around Parkland School Division's Centre for Education. I hadn't made the connection that she was Al's wife, though. Al had left the club before I joined, so she didn't know I was a Rotarian, either. It turns out they're staying just down the road from us in Coventry at another B & B.

I had a profound Rotary moment today on the train back from the convention center. I can't tell of it now, because I'm going to be disconnected shortly. I'll tell you this: it involves a Rotary World Peace fellow and an altercation on the train... stay tuned for more tomorrow and lots of pics.