All posts by johncohn

Saturday night – fall in love

October 5, 2013 johncohn 1 Comment

It's about 8 PM and I've been home for about an hour. Great trip this week. Got lots of things done… And left too many things undone as always. Having the Ted X talk be the last thing on the last day was pretty intense. It felt so good to relax after the talk last night. I was honestly sad to leave because I have made some quick good friends there. I was particularly glad to get to know the folks in the civil engineering department and the staff of the tedx event. Both groups did so much to make me feel at home. I really, really appreciate that!. The Dutch are such wonderful people.

I was really amazed and impressed with how much work went into creating an event like that… And how much effort goes into the care and feeding of all of the performers. If the Other speakers were even half as nervous as I was, the staff must've really had their hands full

After the event, Rohlfing I had a quick dinner then I went back to pack and work. I ended up having meetings until almost 2 AM again. 7 AM came too early but the brisk walk to the train station woke me up. The town was almost deserted even though it was almost 8 AM Saturday. I guess that was consistent with the sound of partying through most of the night ..

The trip home was long but uneventful. An older playing, no power, no Wi-Fi, no video really. Two nice people next to me and I worked the entire way but maybe 15 minutes of sleep. We were in Philadelphia before I knew it. But I worked all the way through home.

It was so beautiful line into Burlington this afternoon. For full it is it peek around here now. I've never seen such bright reds yellows and oranges from the plane. Photos don't do it justice… Especially from my crap phone. But it filled up my heart.

So nice and Diane driving to the airport. It's nice to see the dogs too. Haven't seen gabe yet.
Okay I think it's time for me to drop into a bathtub and not think for a while. It's so nice to be Home!

Night all, night Sam– Me

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Friday Night – TEDx Delft 2013

October 4, 2013 johncohn 5 Comments

congratulations to all the organizers of TEDxDelft 2013. It was a very good day of talks and performances.. the logistics were flawless and the 1000 or so folks all seemed to really enjoy the day . . I want to add my thanks to Rob, Toine, Eveline, Roos, Karen,Brenda, Antoinette, Frode, Toi-Toi-Toi lady. Shiraz, . and all the other great folks that made the day work . Thanks fo your help adnd calming energy.. it got me through the day 🙂

I had several work meetings during the morning an afternoon, but I was still able to see abou 6 of the days talks..There were some amazing talks on diverse topics as “the Joys of Failure” .. and zero energy air conditioning. THere were singers. a symphony.. a tram contest.. and grasshoppers to eat at the end.. (yum ?>) ..
I was sooooooooooooo nervous about my own talk.. which was the last in the day. Through a really odd coincidence.. my talks title was the same as the conference.. I thought it was on purpose.. but I’d named my talk based on a line I always use.. and they’d chosen the title long before inviting me.. very strange..

As I stepped out on stage my mind went TOTALLY blank.. an I couldn’t remember what to say.. but i managed to start talking.. and the next thing I know I was done. It was a great relief being done.. .. and I think I did ok. It was so great relaxing afterwards.. it was *almost* worth the angst of giving the talk Again the irony of stressing out over a talk on ‘play’ is pretty funny
.

I talked ot this guy Neils a bunch He’s a social media consultant.. we neded up hanging out in the back of the room together during some of the afternoon talks.. .. his service dog was named stevie .. and made me miss my girls..

<Added Saturday .. he just sent me a link to (his and) Stevie’s story here)

Here’s my freind Rolf announcing the tram race.

the tram race was outside and it was a challenge of who could move these railroad trollys the fastest either by hand or engine.

lots of great energy in the talks.. like these musical twins

and a whole 80 piece symphony on stage

they handed out boxes to each person and asked us not to open them.. then after my talk they asked us to open them.. each one had a dried grasshopper inside.. and they asked us to eat them .. sort of yummy !

Here Rob is thanking the staff.

then it was out for a party.. i got lots of pics with folks.. these are only a few.

we got soem more grasshoppers to eat as well !

finally things broke up.. I packed up my ton of stoff and Rolf and I walked back down town for a late snack and a beer.. I managed to miss a work call in doign that.. so rescheduled and just got off that call (1 AM)

now back at the hotel and packing (pictures on my walls here)

crud.. cant find a 220 v adapter to charge my ipad.. so I rigged one up colony style.. (thats why i always bring duct tape )

i need to catch an early mornign train to shipo.. so I better sign off.. good week here.. Dank je wel Nederlands !

more tomorrow.

nite all, nite sam

-me

thursday night – toi toi toi

October 3, 2013 johncohn Leave a comment

the theme of ‘happy stress’ keeps coing up n my life . I’m nervous an excited abotu a talk i am going to give tomorrow. both emotions coesiting is strange and normal for me at the same time.

THe folks here at the TEDx conference are great at suppressing stress about the talks for minutes at a time.. other speakers are nervous too. which is fun and nerve wracking.. llife is full of such contradictions.. no ?

Went for a run early this morning in the beautiful streets of delft.

Met my work friends Djeevan, Bram, Wing and Roeland for an impromptu meeting on the green of the university.. met new colleague Roeland who’s awesome.

After a few hours of work meetings and a talk rehearsal, all tomorrows speakers headed to ikea for dinner… I got to hang out with some of the volunteers for the conference .. and they were so nice.. and so interesting.. Alll of then were volunteers that just believed in the TED concept..

We had a good dinner then headed to the hotel bar for a drink and more collective fretting 🙂

i got soem good advise tonight about tomorrow.. i have soemthign I want to say.. and I’ll say it. thats what counts.. hoope it goes ok..

wish me lock.. ot /toi, toi, toi as they say here..

nite all, nite sam,

-me

Wednesday night – twelve below

October 2, 2013 johncohn 1 Comment

It’s twelve below zero here.. and I don’t mean temperature.. I learned today in one of my meetings that parts of the city of delft are as much as 12 meters below sea level. Many parts of this country are built on land reclaimed from the sea. They call it Polder.. they surround soem of the sea with dykes, pump out the water and then plant and build on it. You just have to keep pumping. The water engineering in this country is amazing.. and water is everywhere. It’s really beautiful

Even the toilets are amazing.. they have little golf courses in them to um.. help one aim..

I took a short walk around town tonight with my friend Toine from TU Delft.. it’s such a nice place..

this is right in front of my hotel

my room opens on to this road..

Toine and I had a really great conversation over Indonesian reistafel.. It was seriously one of the best restaurant meals i’ve had in many months (cant say the best meals overall because Diane sets a really high bar with her cooking 🙂

THe woan who cooked htere gave me soem of her home made sambal to take back to the hotel.. yum !

OK.. time for a few more calls, then bed.. more tomorrow