Hotel California..... Fawlty towers

I cant believe it. But it´s true. I will be the 100 % owner and Hotel Director of my fathers Hotel in Arboga within a very short future.

Yesterday I got all the papers to sign and I had to read it thrue several times and still think it is a dream.

After 1.5 years of sadness, dissapointments, expectations, fights, negotiations and discussions it seems that everything is all over now.

I had to make a very quick decision about the Hotel business and i just go for a YES. I will give it

a try. If I dont take this opportunity I will regret that for the rest of my life.

It will not be for free, that is for sure, but what is for free nowadays.

I am happy about the support from many of my colleagues to do this and that is really encouraging.

I love the song Hotel California by Eagles... its an evil song. The combination with Fawlty Towers will be splendid.

I already got the nick name Cybil.... hm... i truly prefer Paris Hilton better. I will do my best to live up to the both caracteristics... they are kind of adorable in different ways.

Lets see what Arboga says about that... we are talking challenges.

Love and kiss

anna

42 +......June 17th

So I survived another birthday and now turn into the lovely age of 42.

I just have to laugh about it. Some figures on the paper and it does not feels like me.... really. No no... and yes yes.. I cant deny it.

The numbers seems to be quiet high in one way but surtenly to low at some occations...

Some days I have the feeling I have to fit into my age for some reasons. Why so?

I dont know, but I dont feel mossy and old, I feel great and young and I have much more energy then I had when I was 20... well that might be an exaggeration but anyway.

kind of overloaded.... I better cool down.


I enjoy.

Anna

Good Bye my dear uncle.....June 16th

Some days, you just realize that the distance from happines to sadness can be very short. To short.

After celebrating my friend´s birthday this morning I got the sad message about my uncles death this morning. Very unexpected and so very sad. Oh..

I truly feel with my cousins, his 4 children and their children today.

But mostly, I maybe feel for my grandfather, who has lost two sons within 1,5 years. This is kind of to much for him. He keeps asking the same questions as when my father died, why wasnt it me? it should have been me.....

We will truly make our best to support him in his grief, and sometimes the silence is the best. At least for now.

My uncle Tommy was the youngest, not yet 60 , out of 3 brothers and very much look a like my father. In many ways. Not only the energy but also the temper and the impatient in many things. But also, for being two great persons giving a lot to many, energetic persons.

My oldest uncle is now alone of these 3 brothers and I truly hope he will take care of himself even better.

I truly hope we have more then one life. I cant stand the thought not being able to run around and experience and feel so many great things on this lovely earth.

Rest in peace Tommy, you deserve that. Send regards and hugs to my father and grandmather on your way.

Love
Anna

Happy birthday T Nilsson....June 16th.

So, finally... time to celebrate one of my closest friends 30th birthday.

Hip hip hurry!!

To be honest, You dont have anything to fear and I promise you, its getting better and better. No doubt. And you are def. coming closer ...

I still remember my 30th birthday party as the best party ever. I thought some kind of ending were close but I could not be more wrong. It was just the loveliest door to the real life.

Every day from 30 i just felt stronger, mature ( :-) ) and secure in a great way. So remember to celebrate your past 30 and mostly, celebrate all the good years coming.

Good luck and good future to you, you deserve the best. I expect a huge party later on and I will be the firt one in the row for celebration and hugs.

Your very best friend
Anna

Grady Booch - my number one Hero at RSDC 2008

Feel welcome to share some of my highlights at the RSDC 2008 in Orlando.

Ok, there are heros and there are heros. Right. One of my Heros of this years Rational Software Development Conference was the great fellow Grady Booch.

The second one.. is Homer Simpson... i will tell you later..

Back to Grady.

Number 1. I have to admit, I did not know to much about Mr Booch and his achievements and career , neither of his excellent skills in keeping a 3500 person audience thrilled for 45 minutes. I had never seen him live, but I now understand why he is requested and so much appreciated as a speaker. Holy moses.. I am quiet hard to make an impression on... but this was good.

I just have to say, congratulations Mr Booch. Well done. Over my expectations, he delivered a Key Note that was excellent. What was so excellent then? To be honest, it was not the content.. " excuse me Grady ", it was the way he did it. His way of keeping us listening, focused and so very much involved in his passion and story about Software Development and the future. Natural born speaker. The combination of seriousity, infotainment but very personal touch to a great headline and very interesting topic. Thanks for the inspiration.

I want to bring Grady to Sweden, Scandinavia and I will truly do my very best to succeed in that.

Number 2. I have to mention my own sessions as two of the highlights of course....:-)... at least for me. It was a magic Tuesday. Started with Grady as a Key Note in the morning, Me... the last speaker of the day and I have to admit I was nervous. But everything went very well and I managed to manage my co-speaker in an excellent way and also deliver some jokes on the way... oops... it was maybe to much to talk about challenging to have something in between my legs for 1,5 hours... the lead... but hello,, it very much was a great ice-breaker for the session and yes... we had a good laugh.. even after the session. Anthony Crain, my favourite IBM RUP guy... got so many quotes from that session and I can tell.. if he is happy and pleased,, God, I am happy.

Also to mention the Panel about Agile Development that I was part of. How fun! We managed to get a good atmosphere in the panel and I hope that we managed to deliver some answers to the audience of any interest. I want to give the excellent panelmoderator Scott Ambler some roses... for managing to keep quiet for 1 hour :-) but also... for the comment " Scrum sucks".... hahaha... well Scott. You gave us a good laugh and you are both brave and brilliant.

Number 3.... Julian Holmes....UP mentors, He is just brilliant, as a speaker and as a UP mentor and person, wherever he is and no matter what he does. Julian looked fantastic in his Star Wars outfit and the session itself was just great. ..SHoulde be rated Session of this Year. Keep the outfit on Julian, it suited you perfect and keep on mentoring, singing., rocking or whatever... . ( And not to forget Mark and Joshua, you are just very great pros all of you... ).

Number 4 well there are so many highligts and great sessions, but before I tell about the second Hero this year I just want to mention all those great people I met there.... I know you know which I mean. I just love all of you and look forward to see you all again. Its all about people.. really. Kelly H....Your yearly Rational event in your house is just one the most lovely occasions I ever go to. Thanks for inviting me. Your hospitality is world class heart and love straight thrue.

Ok... back to my Hero number 2. Homer Simpson. The event at Universal Studios was fantastic. The Simpson ride was the most great ride I have ever joined. Truly madly deeply so much great fun and thrilling. I was high very long on that one...

http://www.universalorlando.com/usf_attr_simpsons.html

And when I later that evening saw Homer walking in the park I just ran like crazy to him and stand aside for a hug... but ..... his lovely wife Marge came up and looked furious to me... not only for stealing her husband... but also for that fact that I did not notice the very long que for taking photos with the Simpson family... oops ,,,

well well.... I got the photo.. here it is. Enjoy... I did.

Oh one last thing .. i miss and want to go back to Florida heat and the nice pool... it is just to cold here and my travel nervs are ready again.

Love and kiss from a lovely Stockholm, Sweden....

Anna

Anna goes US - report from New York

So, finally I got connected here in New York and also some inspiration to write on the blog again.

Well the inspiration has not been lacking to be honest... just the time and also actually problem in connecting.

I have been on tour since May 29 th and the trip started in New York, further to Orlando and the RSDC.

I will write more about it later on but I can just tell you this much... success and great work.

Now in New York, and I cant tell you how great it was to meet the boys again. They were absolutely thrilled and so happy to be here and meet this great lovely city. We stay in Manhattan in a great Hotel, close to all shopping and whatever we might need.

Already 3 days ahead, filled with shopping and sightseeing in a great combination.

Today we took the UP town tour by bus and we went around Central Park , thrue Harlem and back on the upper east side. So fantastic. I just promised myself on the bus that I want to move here when I am 50.

Shopping,,, I can just tell, it is cheap here in New York for us Swedes and that is of course a challenge. I almost could not get out of the lovely department store Macys today. My sons did some great bargains and myself also. I just love Macys.

Tomorrow we will go down to China town for buying copy stuff and just enjoy the lovely Chinese atmosphere. And also, to Brooklyn, that will be interesting.

This evening we went to see the movie Kung Fu Panda and it was great fun and some good time spending after a hard day of shopping and touristing.

New York, I just love this city and I truly consider this as one of my absoloutely favourite cities in the world.

Love and kiss.

Anna

Jim Webber rules......

Jim Webber.... I just have to mention you in the headline of this blogpost.
Excuse me all the other most brilliant speakers at Nordea IT Conference 08 in Stockholm, but you just made a huge difference and mostly effected very many people mindset during that day.

Your SOA Guerilla presentation was absolutely great fantastic and mostly, opened up many peoples mind and eyes for SOA and the spagetti course we are trying to avoid in a costly way. You did it with the passion and energy that was just the lovely "idiot" way of doing it.

Many of the quotes we got during the day was regarding that we had been brave to invite you with your "idiot" thoughts around SOA. This info will both kill, inspire and also maybe put some actions to all the people involved.

Mostly inspire i guess and hope. We all know that it is more easier said then done and that are always conditions that are hard to deal with. But mostly, the inspiration will be a good start for new discussions and decisions.

Back to all the other speakers at the conference as your were not alone Jim.

Dan North... please come back Dan. If we could get only 10% of your skills, experiences and energy you would make magic in our company. People talk about your session still. Great and super!!!

Clive Bates and Julie Gardiner.... my testing favourites and not only mine. My colleagues still refers and talk about you as well, they are so proud to have had you as guest in our company. You are mostly welcome back and I will make sure that is remembered.

Mark Russell..... super well done Mark. You did a splendid job and I am told that the RCP , Rich CLient Platform information was very much input to our work at the moment and that we will need more of this information. I hope you will come back to Sweden soon.

Jesper, thanks for showing that we have great Testing people internal in Nordea, highly skilled, inspiring and very open to some great sharing.

Patrik and Peter.... my "favourite" architects ( Peter is one of my team members) I was so extremely proud of your work. During your session I was just sitting thinking of how long your skills and energy will take you. I am the one to support, coach and of course promote you to any company and work.

Henrik Kniberg, the Srum master of Scrum. You did a great impression to everyone in the audience and also to managment. Thanks for great inspiration and energy. I will put my head of that we will do something that includes part of Scrum in the future. ( not to forget to mention our conversation before the conference.... you gave me lovely laughs Henrik,thank you. Of course, I was so very happy and proud that you were on the top 75 list in Computer Sweden. Well done and welcome back to Nordea.

So.... that webber rules.. that will be the great inspiriation that the Nordea IT conference .. will rule.

Fantastic, Great, Kanon.. the list of words were as long as the list of members.

See you all soon.


From your very best
Conference Task force manager
Anna