Put on your high heels and book that plane ticket, escorts, because 10,000 of Microsoft's closest friends will be descending on Houston for the Worldwide Partner Conference on July 7th and 10th. From what we hear, these parties are fairly legendary for their excess. From the footage of the last WPC in Denver, Microsoft spends more on this event than it spends on employee fêtes (at least nowadays — I remember some wildly lavish Christmas parties and company picnics from back in the eighties). Nothing like offering an alternative to sloshy Billy Joel singalongs — with full release — to close that deal. Registration ends on Friday, and the company says it's already close to capacity. Got any good WPC stories? Send them in or post them in the comments.