Conferences and Florida

As lumpy said I have been away for the week in Sarasota, Florida.

The weather HERE has been lovely. The weather there was hot and humid, although it did only piss down with rain once. The conference (VSS) is really an excuse to go to Florida beaches with some posters and talks thrown in. So most people stay on the keys and hire cars to get round. I only decided to go at the last minute (when Daphne told me the grant would pay...) so I ended up in a different hotel from everyone I knew and had to beg lifts (which many people generously gave me).

But I had a great time! I caught up with lots of great people and met some more. I had some great food and learned about some new results in several fields I'm interested in.

Highlights were hanging out with a whole bunch of Aussies and Kiwis on the afternoon off, having dinner with some great face reserachers, and doing daggy dancing at Club Vision (thanks to Emma, Linda, John and the boys from UCL for participating : ).

Lowlights were getting a massive blister on my foot the one day I tried to walk to the conference from my hotel, and forgetting to get the flight number of the people who gave me a lift from Tampa airport when I first arrived (which meant I spent a stressful hour or so wondering whether they had come to the other baggage claim and missed me).

Extrememly amusing were the old guy who asked me at breakfast whether I enjoyed being a woman (I stopped going to breakfast after that but one morning when I was waiting outside I turned around and he was standing there smoking and staring at me with his one eye that wasn't covered by an eye patch!!), and Paul mishearing me and thinking gumlings must be baby Koalas.

As a thank you for giving me lifts I have to find a picture of the Queen's legs for some of the McMaster people.