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  Prior to the Chiefs game, we headed down to Knuckleheads for a little birthday celebration, enjoying good company and good music. The Divisional Playoff game against the Houston Texans took precedence for most of the regular attendees of this Saturday jam session, so attendance was extremely sparse.  It was a good time though.  We enjoyed some great music in space before the game, and could have even stayed for the game, if we had decided to.  There were several screens showing the pre-game.

  The Saturday Open Jam has been missing from our agenda for quite some time now.  It is one the best ways to burn up a Saturday afternoon in Kansas City, listening to some of the best rock and blues musician in town.  This particular occasion featured the return of a longtime resident of the event who had been off the roster for more than year following multiple personal crises, one of which nearly ended his ability to perform at all.  Taking his spot behind the drums once again for a couple of tunes, "D" picked up right where he left off, keeping cadence as if nothing had ever happened.  There were tears among some of the crowd that were closer to him, understanding the extent of his dilemma.  After playing, he admitted stumbling a few times, but everything sounded great from our side of the stage and we look forward to seeing him play again more often.

  An afternoon focused on technology down at J. Rieger & Co. broke up the week nicely, offering a unique learning experience from Pomerol Partners.  Lunch and presentations associated with machine learning and data stack modernization were followed by a discussion around large language models with a few Kansas City IT leaders.   Immediately following that, Abstract Technologies talked about LATAM opportunities through nearshoring staffing services, followed by Black Khaki Brand Communicators discussing maintenance of organization cultural wellness.  Topping things off like a cherry on top, we learned of a new podcast worth listening in on, entitled " Drinks and Data ," hosted by KC technology leaders Kanon Cozad and Shawn Helwig.