After a very snowy morning in Metro Denver, and a late departure from the airport, I am on my way to Boston.  I am flying through New York Lagurdia where I change carriers before heading along to a flat that I've rented with other pingVision staffers.  We are scattered across three different places to stay--two hotels and the apartment.  On this trip, 11 of us are headed to Drupalcon.  The last meeting was in Barcelona, which was much more exotic than Boston will be. 

That said, I've spent a fair bit of time in Boston--working with the Massachusettes Cultural Council on building a custom grant making system for the council in my pre-Drupal days.  That system, along with a number of other grant systems, was built on MySQL with custom PHP.  It was architected with the idea it would interface with a custom Access based system called "Pearl" built by Brommelkamp Company.

As I continue to transistion into the Drupal community, I see ways that I would revise how I architect such systems and have, in fact, built a mini-grant like system for my Daughter's PTA.  Teachers can make requests to the PTA for monies to support classroom activities.  The role based system that Drupal sports overlaps nicely with the stages a grant goes through from application to final report.

I head to this Drupalcon, armed with much more knowledge than I had in the previous meeting.  I know more people and have collaborated--in one way or another--with quite a few, whether we are talking about simple chat in #drupal, AIM, or Skype, or talking about making plans for other Drupal non-profits that will enhance and compliment the Drupal Association. 

I am not a traditional Drupalista, not being a themer or a coder.  However, as Drupal continues to evolve as a tool used by companies, both large and small, I feel that I can and am contributing to the community in different ways.  I bring to the table extensive experience in the nonprofit world--which wonderfully parallels the opensource movement--which includes interfacing and developing for the for-profit, govermental, and nonprofit communities.

So, this Drupalcon brings me to a place where I am looking forward and deriving context from the past.  I am anticipating a stimulating and enriching experience over the coming days.  I hope to learn a lot, perhaps make some new friends, and bring back to pingVision a deeper understanding of the fabric that is Drupal.