postcards from monterey

even though i've been there and back already...

The conference started on Thursday with a student workshop (which I missed...ooops) and then a student social (which I did NOT miss...heh). I actually didn't leave Davis until 2 in the afternoon and got to Monterey around 5:30 or so. I was stoked when I got to the econolodge because there was a microwave AND a fridge so I could actually put beer and the food in there instead of hauling my giant icechest up the stairs. yes, the simple pleasures of a poor grad student...

I should have given a talk at this conference, it was silly of me not to, but I've been so busy I figured it would be worse to give a lame talk than to have given no talk at all and make it look like I'm not the one whose project it really is... was that out loud?

Quite a few people I know from Davis gave talks and the ones I saw were awesome, impressively professional. I took my camera to the talks but I was taking notes and stuff too so I ended up not taking much. And there wasn't much in the way of decoration like there was at AFS so no pics of the actual conference.

Every year they have a president's banquet, which I usually don't go to because it's expensive. I usually pony up for the AAH (Attitude Adjustment Hour) since that's cheaper and usually a lot more fun. This was the function that was in the aquarium last year and all that carousing happened...and I was also reminded this year that I wrestled David in a parking garage. Had completely forgotten about that. **note to self: no witnesses from now on...**

After the president's banquet they open it up for the auction for the student travel awards to pay for next year's travel. There's a silent auction that's going on during the real auction. Every year Raphael Sagarin is the auctioneer. He's hysterical and really does do a great job with the bids and with deriding people into bidding.
This year they had an extra special "vanna" displaying the prizes throughout the crowd. His professor was concerned that he enjoyed himself a little too much in the costume and his girlfriend couldn't bare to watch.
Here's David. He knows I usually have some beer healthy snacks in my icechest with my food and so we shuffle out to my car to get them so we don't have to pay $6 a beer for Corona. We were coming back from the car to the hotel and David showed some of his fashizzle.



Never make the mistake of thinking that you can trust a pregnant woman to hold your beer. Whatever Amy! gah!



WSN SUPAHSTAHS! They all gave talks! They all sounded smart! I know them!!