XLVII: Vacation Time! (Part II)

[Editor’s note: for this post, I am indebted to my labmate Rafael Demarco for the pictures he took for me in Wisconsin. Thanks Rafa!]


Returning from my trip to California, I arrived in Kansas City late at night. I then had about twelve hours to unpack, pack, sleep and meet up with my lab to travel back to the airport for our science conference in Madison, WI. Unfortunately, with my hectic goings-on, I neglected to charge my camera. Therefore, all of the pictures shown were taken by my labmate.

The first item of interest was that, due to overbooking of the coach section, Rafael and I got a free upgrade to first class! I felt quite special, and didn’t know just what to do with all my extra legroom.


Upon arriving at the airport, we got a rental car, and checked into our rooms…



And were treated to an insane amount of buffet-style catered foods. It was delicious! And I think I am still recovering (three weeks later) from all the food I ate during the meeting. Unfortunately, Rafael did not take any pictures of the food. Come on Rafael, what were you thinking? Instead, here is a picture of a bunch of urns. Or are they vases?



Each day, most of our time was spent sitting in a large auditorium and listening to lots of 15-20 minute talks. We had about a 2 hour lunch break and a 2 hour dinner break. Dinner was then followed by poster sessions, in which numerous students, grad students and post docs presented their research to the crowds filtering through the room, sipping drinks and munching hors d'oeuvre. Unfortunately, Rafael didn’t take any pictures of the hors d’oeuvre. Come on Rafael, what were you thinking? Instead, here are pictures of Rafael and I both presenting our posters:



Finally: The University of Wisconsin, Madison is pretty nice. It is unique in that it is a college town (similar to Lawrence), but that it also is the state capital. The university is very large, and I didn’t really enjoy the large streets that intersected the campus (much preferring KU’s lower-traffic, more scenic campus). The one thing that was really cool, however, was the terrace, looking out on the lake (which happened to be right next to our meeting area). The terrace is an extension of the student union, where one can buy all sorts of food and drink, and is a very open, colorful place for students, families, couples and anyone else who wants to hang out by the lake. I spent quite a bit of time there, soaking up the sun, relaxing, and listening to some bands.



It was a nice time. I learned a lot, had some good conversations about my research, ate some good food, and had an all-around lovely trip.

Episode XLVI: Vacation Time! (Part I)

I have had the good fortune to be able to take a trip back to California for the last week and a half. Most of my time there was spent in the Sierra Nevadas with family and friends. Here are a few random pictures that I felt like sharing. I will mostly let the pictures speak for themselves.

Here we see Grandpa Norris playing pictionary:

Here I am riding a jet-ski. If you think I look dangerously fast, you are right: I am about to rev that thing up to a whopping top speed of fifty-one miles-per-hour!

What can be happier than a baptism? Please note the color coordination between fathers and daughters:

Here is a picture of my cousin Saty that I thought turned out remarkably well:

And finally, people seem to think that my cousin Micah looks a lot like me. I have never really agreed until I saw this picture: