What I’m really excited about is the start of a working relationship with Amy Stirnkorb who is a graphics designer!  While we were there, she asked if I’d be interested in working with her.  She has to turn down jobs for websites because she doesn’t know how to do the back end.  Now we can partner up with her on the front end and me on the back end….YAY!!

That was followed with these sessions:

• Social Media on the New Internet
• Web Design and Development: Behind the Scenes
• Creating Sexy Stylesheets

The second day of Web Design and Development focused on the actual implementation and development (applications) for the re-designed website.

Again I passed on the Blue Flavor-sponsored party at the Bazaar Urban Lounge to spend time with Karen and Tom instead.  It’s been a long wee, I’m tired and I’m looking forward to flying home tomorrow.  I will miss Karen, Tom, Andrew and the dogs, but I hope to come visit again some day!

• Making Accessibility Sexy
• Marketing, Branding and Reputation
• Web Design and Development: Behind the Scenes
• Website Critique
• SEO Workshop

My favorite was the start of the Web Design and Development session.  Keith Robinson and Jeff Croft from Blue Flavor talked about the creative design process and the strategy that went into re-designing their own company website.  It was nice to hear about web development from the “design” side which I struggle with!

Afterwards I passed on partaking in their party at the Atlanta Sheraton and headed back to Karen’s for a very nice dinner and a quiet evening.  I’ve grown quite fond of Marlo!

Worked out well though, since I showed up in baggage claim same time as my suitcase came off the belt.  I grabbed my suitcase and hopped onto the National bus to head off-site to the rental cars.  Nokia pays for Emerald Club service, so I was the first off the bus and the employees there asked me what kind of car I wanted.  I said I just wanted something small and with good gas mileage and they gave me a PT Cruiser!

I’ve never driven one and figured I’d have some fun with it, so I put suitcase in the back seat, my backpack in the front and headed toward the exit of the rental car lot.  I pulled up to the gate to get out and then went to roll down the window…only problem was that I couldn’t figure out how to roll the windows down!!  Meanwhile, the nice lady at the gate is trying to help me out by pointing inside the car to where the controls were….I finally found them in the middle of the dashboard between my seat and the passenger seat.  Go figure!!

Atlanta 1, Julie 0

Okay, so I’m now hooked up via Bluetooth to Navigator so I can find my way to my girlfriend’s house in Alpharetta.  There’s only one problem….Navigator was still on pedestrian mode from a couple nights ago and my phone is telling me to make turns where I can’t make turns and it doesn’t make sense!  After driving around for a bit, I realize what the problem is and I pull off into a parking lot and put Navigator back into automobile mode and head off on the freeway towards Alpharetta.

Atlanta 2, Julie 0

The quickest way to get there is via a toll road (400N).  I remembered  Karen saying something about exact change, but of course I didn’t listen.  I see the signs for paying the toll and I don’t really pay attention to them either.  I get into a lane and I end up a toll lane with a bowl-like thing to drop 50¢ worth of coins in.  No place for dollar bills and no attendant to take my money.  Do you think I’m ready for this?  Of course not!  I frantically emptied out the coins in my purse and rummaged around (with people behind me) until I found 50¢ worth of dimes and dropped them into the bowl.  The gate went up and I drove off rather quickly (did I hear the sound of pealing tires?)!

Atlanta 2, Julie 1 (if I hadn’t had the money, Atlanta would’ve gotten that point!)

I finally made it to Karen and Tom’s house and WOW!  A picture is worth a thousand words…

It’s so good to be visiting with Karen, Tom, Andrew and the girls (Marlo and Rainy).  I never knew that Karen and Tom were into beer!  We had a nice dinner outside (the weather’s fantastic!) and I look forward to the Webmaster Jam Session starting tomorrow!

Here’s a pic of Karen and me.  She’s right at 6′ tall….her son Andrew is about 6’7″ and husband Tom is about 6’5″.  I have to stand on my tippy toes to hug  any of them and they have to stoop over!!!

Today was filled with more sessions on:

• “Practical” Functional JavaScript
• Enterprise JavaScript Error Handling
• What’s up with Prototype and script.aculo.us?
• Building Your First Adobe AIR Application
• JavaScript: The Good Parts
• Ajax 2.0
• Making Your jQuery Code Modular

So the final day of The Ajax Experience is over and I was supposed to go out to dinner with a friend, but I got stood up.  Maybe not such a good friend, eh?  Oh well!  I’ve been working on Java programming instead and this way I can go to sleep whenever I want!  I’m sad to be leaving Boston tomorrow, but I’m excited to be flying to Atlanta, GA!

See you tomorrow!