| Wednesday, February 14, 2007 |
| Conventions |
Whose idea were these things anyway? Put 10,000+ people in the same profession / industry with all the companies that make things to service that industry / profession, add obscene amounts of money and shake well?
It's just one big, giant, conflict of interest with a dash of self importance, and a whole lot of cool science and technology trying desperately to poke its head out from underneath it all struggling for legitimacy.
I heard you guys had a bad hair day back east. Sorry about that. If it's any consolation, I listened to Snow Patrol on the iPod on the way to the Convention Center through the Old Town / Gaslamp District on the Trolley this morning. It was brisk here in San Diego. Started out drizzly and cold and then got sunny and very windy. This evening was cool, but very nice to walk around the Old Town.
Today was the first, and toughest day on my agenda. After getting in late last night, I had to be up and at the meetings by 7:30 AM. I was on a panel of speakers at 8:00 talking about strategic planning and marketing tactics, and then we went on from there - for 10 straight hours.... We had a 15 minute break in the morning, a luncheon with a speaker, and another 15 minute break in the afternoon. 7:45 AM - 5:45 PM. Honestly? The day flew by, and I learned something from every single presentation. Some better than others, but not a waste of my valuable time by a long shot.
I was exhausted by 6:00 however, and had made plans to have dinner with colleagues. We ended up helping our Fellows put up their scientific posters in the Exhibit Hall, and then all went to dinner at an awesome Thai place in the Gaslamp District.
The place I'm staying is very retro in an "Old California" kind of way. Think Beverly Hills Hotel. It was built in 1954 as a series of luxury bungalows along the San Diego River, and has managed to keep its charm, a certain shabby chic glamour, and a lovely Doris Day kind of feel to the place, right down to the white picket fences and ivy wallpaper. Because of its age, it is also magnificently landscaped with lush, mature foliage and gardens- the kind you could never replicate with the newer downtown hotels and resorts.
I'm busy with seminars every morning (gender specific joint protheses, or "rebuilding the revision knee - what's in YOUR toolbox?"), and I have to make time to visit some vendor exhibits, but I did sign up for a VIP tour of the San Diego Zoo with the zookeepers to see the vet hospital and talk to the people in the breeding program. They are also giving us tours of the USS Mercy Hospital ship which should be really cool. I'm hoping to rent a car on Saturday and head to Coronado, and perhaps up to La Jolla for some shopping and to see the Scripps Aquarium. I also need to see if Mapquest can pinpoint the location of the apartment we lived in when I was born. This is, after all, my "hometown". I remember nothing - except for some very dim images of the zoo and our backyard that are hard to distinguish between reality, and those imposed by family photos. We lived here twice in between Naval assignments actually, and finally moved to Western PA when I was a toddler. It's kind of like being adopted. Western PA is my home, but I was born here, so I feel this odd sense of loyalty to a total stranger. |
posted by Broadsheet @ 12:58 AM   |
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