One Week Ago Today: Monday

It's my first day at NAB in Las Vegas. (I can't believe how much things have changed here--of course it has--the last time I was here it was 1988.) Breakfast is McDonald's at Excalibur (our hotel/casino). It's the cheapest thing around and it's quick.

A 30 minute bus ride takes us to the Las Vegas Convention center right by the airport. When I get off the bus, I feel like I've entered an ant colony. People, people, people. Going everywhere all at once. And I thought Disney World was bad.

We get inside and I immediately start taking things from every booth I see. Bags, CDs, DVDs, magazines, pens. It didn't help that we were in the music section. I meet back up with the guys and they give me this look as if to say, "rookie" as I fumble with everything I've picked up only after 30 mintues. I realized then this was not a sprint, but a marathon. I needed to pace myself if I wanted to make it through the week (and back on the plane--I was already pushing my 50 pound limit coming out here; not much room for anything else).

Lunch is a south beach cereal bar and a pack of gold fish that I eat in Panasonic's promo section. It feels good to sit down. The presentation lasts only 20 minutes and it's back up and at 'em again. Here's an overview of the day's activities. I didn't see any of this live--I just found it on the internet.

We leave the convention at 4:00 to get ready for dinner. We are being treated by Yamaha. One of the reps goes to our church and is out here. We eat at this Brazilian place that serves 7 different kinds of meat. The servers come out with meat impaled on swords and slice it right on your plate. Kinda fun if you're a carnivore. I don't see much hope for people who are vegitarian.

It's late and we head back to the casino. I lose $20.00 at the nickel slots. I'm done for the night.