I'm still recovering at work from my recent road trip to my IBM Pulse conference (aka Las Vegas), but spending a relatively quiet weekend at home has helped get my head straight. It was great being able to spend some time with Mom and Dad before the conference and the professional shuttle service they provide (thanks again for all the driving guys!). There were two major highlights from the trip. First was sitting in on a poker game with Dad and going toe to toe in a 4-8 Hold'em game. For the most part, Dad and I didn't get into too many hands together. There was one hand that I had Dad with a higher two pair until he got his full house on the river. But the big one was going down the wire in a $260 pot and winning with a full house, deuces over eights. That was a very fun hand.

The second one was winning an autographed Carrie Underwood CD via a photo contest. The contest was to get the best "social" picture and share it via social media. I was lucky enough to be selected and announced during the Tuesday keynote.

The winning photo is below.