Loading up on MVP Goodies

Not MVP logo items, as I’m not sure if I really want to wear those. I was somewhat uncomfortable last year at the PASS Summit when I got an MVP ribbon for my badge.

Each year as part of the MVP award that Microsoft gives to people, they also include US$150 of merchandise from their company store. It’s a secure store, and Microsoft will cover shipping, but you can’t go crazy. In fact, you can’t spend more than your $150, so it becomes a challenge to get close.

The store has lots of Microsoft logo stuff, everything from shirts to jackets to notepads. Last year I bought my son a Zune, got him a case and headphones and a couple HALO shirts. Nothing was overly exciting for me, and this year I’d delayed spending any more. Everyone here has an iPod or Zune, we have plenty of “stuff”, so I wasn’t sure what to get.

I was browsing the MVP newsgroups this morning, seeing what complicated and interesting problems they come up with when someone had mentioned they’d spent their money. So that triggered me to go look and see what was out there. I figured there was something I could get, even if it was something silly. I ended up with:

• An OGIO laptop backpack. I’ve been using one from TechEd, but it’s torn, doesn’t close right, and I need a new one.
• Zune Premium headphones for my wife. She likes my son’s pair.
• A Halo t-shirt
• A USB Plasma ball – It will be fun to have on the desk.

I ended up spending $143, so I have $7 left. Not sure there’s much I can get for $7, or if it’s worth me looking around, but I’ll ask my son if there’s some game he’d like to get.