Getting There Is Half the Fun

It used to be that when I wanted to go somewhere, I went to the Conoco gas station and sat on a bench. If it was in the AM, the next bus coming through was heading East. If it was in the PM , I was heading West. Going South meant sometime in between, and going North -- well, I never went North. Simple, right?

Then the boss said that I had to start using the American Express Online Portal, and it now takes me longer to make a reservation than it takes to get from Point A to Point B. And Greyhound isn't even on the list anymore.

For instance, I recently made my reservations to go to Dr. Dobb's Architecture and Design World  in Chicago the week of July 21-24. I'm excited about going, which is why I'm arriving at McCormick Place at 6:30 AM. Of course, the first sessions don't start until 8:30 AM, but try telling that to the American Express Online Portal which is making my reservations. So flying in to Midway airport, taking the train to McCormick Place, or as close to there as I can get.

After hanging out at Dr. Dobb's Architecture and Design World for a day or so, it's off to Portland to OSCON 2008, the open source convention hosted by O'Reilly. Which means humping it back out to Midway and catching a plane to Portland. Thanks to the American Express Online Portal I arrive in Portland sometime in the middle of the night, which is fine since I have the gift of being able to sleep on airplanes.

After hanging out at OSCON 2008 for a day or two, I head home. Which means Portland to Las Vegas to Phoenix to home. Thanks American Express Online Portal. I'm looking forward to this.

One thing you should be looking forward to is a special program running right now that lets you get a free subscription to Dr. Dobb's Journal magazine -- assuming you qualify and further assuming you live in the U.S. or Canada. All you have to do is fill out this form by answering a few questions (no, we don't want to know about your tattoos).

All I wish is that it was as easy to get from Point A to Point B these days as it is to get a free subscription to Dr. Dobb's Journal.