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Splashin':

Tossin' Rocks:

This morning, my host here in Phoenix took me on a 3 mile hiking trip. I posted some stuff on facebook and twitter, for those of you who do those things, but here is some info for the rest of you. We got up at 5:30am (local time) and we were on the trail by 6:00, and back home around 7:30, in time to shower and head to the office, where I am now. How's that for a busy morning?

South Mountain – Telegraph Pass

Sorry for the return of the quietness. I am going on a business trip to Phoenix next week — I leave on Sunday and won't be back until the following Saturday — and I have been up to my eyeballs drowning in work, trying to get things finished before I leave.

I do have some fun stories to share, as well as pictures from the National Zoo and Adventure Aquarium to (edit and) post… so there is stuff on the horizon. You may have also noticed that I posted a handful of (albeit, crummy iPhone) pictures from last weekend on Flickr. Part of Megan's birthday gift (yes, back in April) was a day to go shopping (and money) to buy a new pair of hiking boots, and another part was a hiking trip. We headed west to the Susquehanna River area and found a beautiful 4.5 mile trail called Kelly's Run. Perhaps I'll tell you about it some other time.

My trip to Phoenix next week will be mostly business, mixed with some after-hours pleasure. I'll be attending a DevCamp, which is sort of like a miniature conference, but more hands-on. Not only that, but I'm presenting two topics there, so I'm both excited and terrified about that. I should probably stop saying that public speaking terrifies me, because it's getting better with time and I'm sure that saying it contributes to the butterflies.

I won't bore you with the details of the presentations. Suffice it to say that their content is more suitable for my other blog. I am planning on taking the camera, and I've been instructed to bring my bathing suit and my hiking boots, so I'm sure there are some adventures in the works for after-hours. Not to mention that the friend I'll be staying with has a history of hanging with a crowd that parties pretty hard.

Come to think of it, hopefully I won't need both of those things at the same time. That does not sound like a fun adventure.