Stuck in Orlando - trying not to infect princesses

As some of you know, I got the "zombie flu" that Mat Newman and others had at Lotusphere 2012. By some miracle, I made it through my session on Thursday morning, though I imagine some people probably noticed that I was visibly gripping the podium so as not to fall over. At least I didn't have coughing fits, and Tim Davis did a great job entertaining and enlightening the audience by building a mobile app on the fly using the session data and XPages Mobile Controls.

I was supposed to leave Friday, but was in no condition to travel. In addition, Cleveland was under a snow advisory, and I thought that if I got stranded in an airport, I might never see another Lotusphere. So, I changed my flight to Sunday, the next available flight,, and have been sleeping and groaning and coughing ever since. The hardest part has been that the hotel has so many little Disney Princesses wandering around. Adorable little girls with doting parents. I look at them having a wonderful vacation, and I am deathly afraid of giving this plague to them, which makes it take forever to get to my room on the 5th floor, as I have to try hard not to ride up with anybody. At breakfast, I make sure to sit in a distant corner and look menacing, but little kids never find me menacing, and I keep having to shoo them away. Even when I give them my best Get off my lawn! snarly look, they laugh and try to play. Fortunately, their parents usually catch sight and whisk them off, but it is difficult to avoid breathing or coughing while they are close.

Anyway, a forced extra two days in Florida is not all bad, as I can stumble down to sit outside by the pool, which is blessedly empty when all the families are at the parks. One of the oddest endings to a Lotusphere that I've ever had, but overall, it was a very good week. When I come out of my haze, I hope I remember enough to do a wrap up.

What has been said:

1010.1. Richard Schwartz (01/21/2012 06:37 PM)

Hope you feel better soon. You made the right decision about staying the extra days. And as far as the princesses go, when they grow up and attend five-day technical conferences, they will thank you for boosting their immune systems. ;-)

1010.2. Julian Woodward (01/22/2012 07:16 PM)

That Mat Newman has a lot to answer for!

Very good to see you, and I hope you recover soon.

1010.3. Ben Langhinrichs (01/23/2012 01:55 AM)

I am finally back home. Not 100%, but I haven't been this happy to see snow since I was a kid. Thanks for the supportive words, Rich and Julian.