I estimate that this is my 15th or 16th JavaOne.  I started in 1998 or 1999 and missed 2003 due to the birth of my first son.  Aside from that, I haven't missed one since.  I consider myself very blessed to have taken a small part in such a long and fun ride.  To add blessing on top of blessing, this is the fourh JavaOne at which I have had the honor to teach a class at Java University.  My good friend Oliver Szymanski and I repeated our class from last year, updated with new content.  We had 16 students, and they were fully engaged, learning about JSON, WebSocket, JSF and HTML5.  After the class, which ran from 09:00 - 16:00, Ollie and I took in the Oracle OpenWorld Keynote and then headed over to the GlassFish party at ThirstyBear.  This event has stood the test of time, becoming the one time of the year when the leading lights of the Java Community come together to compare notes and set plans for the big week ahead.  The real action starts tomorrow.  My agenda includes giving my Servlet 4.0 talk with Shing-Wai Chan and my JSF 2.3 talk with Manfred Riem, Ian Hlavats and Kito Mann, in addition to the requsite booth duty from 09:30 - 12:00.