I’ve been meaning to blog about my summer plans for a while, but I haven’t had the time. I don’t have time now either, but I was up earlier than expected this morning, so I figured I’d give it a shot.

This summer, iy”h, I plan to travel. A lot. This will be my first time in about two decades that I’m flying on a plane. I have no recollection of the last time I’ve flown, because I was under a year old. That time, my parents went to a wedding in California. Naturally, I flew along for the ride.

This Sunday, June 10, I’ll be flying back to California – San Francisco, this time. (Although last time I was in LA, it sounds better to say that I’m simply going back to California.) On Monday, June 11, 2012, Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference, also called WWDC, sometimes called “dub-dub”, is kicking off with a keynote address. Yes, those keynotes, the ones used to be called “Stevenotes”. That’s the presentation where Apple has historically announced updates to OS X, the software that powers Apple computers everywhere, and iOS, the software that runs apps on iPhone and iPad.

The word pilgrimage would describe this event fairly well. The rest of the week will be presentations and labs that only geeks would enjoy, but I guess that’s me. I’ve got a ton of questions for the engineers during the labs, and a lot of sessions on my favorites list. I’d better start writing them down! I’d post the questions and the answers here, but there’s a slight issue. Most of the conference is covered by a nondisclosure agreement (NDA), so as they say about Vegas, what goes on there pretty much stays there.

Dub-dub ends on Friday afternoon, but that’s too late for me to fly back before Shabbat, so I’ll be staying over until Sunday morning.

On Thursday June 21, 2012, I’m going, for the very first time in my life, to Israel. I’m excited. I’ll be traveling with a Birthright group for the first ten days, and then I’ll be on my own from July 1 until August 6. I haven’t finalized my plans yet, but I have a ton of family and friends there, so I have a lot of visiting to do. (In a pinch, I’m sure I can work an app or two if I’m bored.) There’s also the option of yeshiva, but again, nothing concrete is in the works. I’m flying back on, August 6th. (Jetlag, I’ve got my eye on you!)

The week after I get back from Israel, I’m headed back out to California, for another, albeit smaller-in-size-but-not-in-awesomeness event at Apple HQ. Attendees have been asked not to get into details about it for security reasons, so I can’t post anything else about travel arrangements. I’ll be back in NY sometime during the week of the 19th. Whatever is going there, and I can’t say but-I’ll-flaunt-it, I’m sure will be awesome.

If anyone’s been counting, that’s six flights scheduled, a lot for a guy who hasn’t ever flown before. (Well, unless you count that first trip two decades ago.) I’m sure it’ll be fun, and a growing experience. It starts now, I gotta go pack.

Have a great summer!