Conference Blogging

Well, as you can tell from the title. I am at a conference this week. I have a love/hate relationship with these things. I love seeing all my friends. I love hearing about all the cool stuff going on. I hate that I have to be away from my family, and for some reason I always develop migranes by the end of the day when I go to conferences.

This conference in particular is unusual. It is at the same place as it was the year that I interviewed and the deja vu is strong. I can look at a sofa and say hey that's where so and so tried to recruit me. The weirdest thing is that the tables have turned completely now and I feel so different. I am not really nervous. I have given my talks tons of times. I'm not trying to get a job. I am not going up for tenure for ages, and I know lots of other faculty either as class-peers or from interviewing.

There are a few foibles. Many people still mistake me for a graduate student. They are usually pretty embarrassed when they find out that I am faculty. Some of my other friends say they get this as well, but I haven't asked my male colleagues. I would be interested to see if it is a gender thing or just an age thing.

I miss my kids. It is tough to be away for a whole week. In some ways it is nice. I can definitely use the break, but it is hard to talk to them over the phone. I mean even in person I have to pry out information from them with pliers, over the phone I rarely get more than hi. Although I did find out that Daddy brought them to Chuck E' Cheese yesterday. [Go dad. That was brave.]

Well I should really go to some sessions or something. More later...