BarCampBankBC happened this weekend in Vancouver, and it was an incredible event. Many many props to Tim McAlpine, William Azaroff and Gene Blishen for everything they put into it. I am constantly awstruck and humbled by the creativity, intelligence, passion and kindness of the people up here I’ve met through the credit union movement.

We were able to cover most of the event live and broadcast it on Open Source CU. I have some notes up my sleeve about the coverage side of the experience, but for now I’ll just say that it was very cool having viewers from across the North America (and the BCB Godfather, Frederic Baud, from Paris) join our conversations virtually. It added an whole new dynamic. Visit the blog and click “On Demand” in the video player to watch archived video from the sessions.

Check out blogs and photos from the event here.

A really poignant quote from the weekend came from Mr. McAlpine:

“I’m gonna chair your face.”

I still have two days left in Vancouver. It’s going to be tough to leave this place.

I’m in Washington DC this week helping a client with some content development for a site we’re about to launch. I’m staying at a Red Roof Inn in Chinatown. While I was checking in, these three things happened:

1. A girl came down to say “Okay, thanks…our shower finally started working. But our toilet still hasn’t flushed since we got here. Lucky we have friends down the hall.”
2. A man was waiting for the elevator the entire time I was checking in. “I’ve been here for twenty minutes,” he said. Bless his heart, it was broken. I took the stairs.
3. A cop came in to resolve a “disturbance” on the third floor. “Please don’t make a scene,” the front desk lady requested of him as she handed me my room key.

Should be fun.

Update (4/29, 9am):

This morning the hotel’s GM, Kris, called after having read this post. He apologized, and explained that the disturbance was just a couple of teenagers who weren’t supposed to be there (which was why the elevator was delayed).

Very cool that Red Roof Inn, or at least Kris, is on top of what’s being said about them and so quick to respond.