Tech.Ed 2005: Without A Belt

I was packing on Monday afternoon. I'd taken Monday off sick - my first sick day since starting with Microsoft four years ago - to try to recover from the cough-rapidly-becoming-a-cold-and-fever that had hit me on Saturday night, and developed nastily through Sunday.

 

On Tuesday, feeling a bit better largely due to the quantity of Codral in my system, I decided that I'd go to the airport with all metal items already either in my bag or removed - so I took off my belt shortly after I finished packing, in preparation for my trip to the Gold Coast.

 

By the time I'd made it most of the way to work, I'd realized that the belt was still on the sofa. But I was out of time, and had to get to the airport.

 

So, Tech.Ed 2005: Without A Belt was underway.

 

After my boots set off the metal detector at the airport and they'd scrubbed me for explosives, I sniffled my way through the flight and the transfer from Coolangatta to the hotel. From there, my little travel group had to hot-foot it to the convention centre.

 

Luckily my belly (in my gulping saliva state) was generally distended enough that not having a belt didn't become a problem until Thursday, when a combination of an uncharacteristic lack of appetite and an all-day-long hyperactive streak threatened to bring me (or rather my pants) low.

 

Luckily, there were no wardrobe malfunctions while on the floor (or socially in others' hotel rooms thereafter), so I still (pretty much) expect to have a job come Monday. Mostly.