So it goes...

I am writing this on the evening (Wed) before I embark on a 906 mile, fourteen hour driving journey, and that's assuming no wrong turns or traffic. If you know me at all you know I love road trips. This one is a bit more than I typically like, but it is broken up quite nicely and all of my destinations are places I really want to be, so it should be great fun. Leg one of the quest takes me up past Minocqua to Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin. I am attending a Wisconsin Land Information Association board of directors retreat. This is a mandatory meeting that involves strategizing, team building and committee assignments, among a dozen other action items. I was elected to the board this past February and am privileged to be able to serve a two year term. One of the focuses of this meeting will be planning the statewide conference that is happening in June. We have a good team of Land Information folks that I look forward to getting to know a little better this week. This area of the sta...

I spent the tail end of last week at the WI Land Information Association (WLIA) Conference in Steven's Point. It was a map geek conference that happens every year. There were 350 land information professionals in attendance and like most every conference, we talked about our work constantly. We talked over breakfast, in the hall after the sessions, at lunch, at the social events, in the elevators and  even on the ride home. Yes, we're pretty pathetic. At the same time, I would argue that we're passionate. We love our jobs, that's why we gather every year. We share ideas, talk through problems, argue, critique and laugh. I remember one time my boss's wife went along on a conference with him and by the end of it she said "You guys never stop talking about work, do you?" The answer is nope. Oh sure we catch up on each others' families and such, but after those three minutes are up, we're back to talking about terrestrial scanners, relational dat...