Automatic for the People

I'm just back from the second of two work-trips in the last month. The first one was a Gordon Research Conference, in lovely Maine. It worked really well---about eighty participants, all theoretical ecologists, and so a lot of opportunity for fruitful discussion. There was certainly an emphasis on metabolic scaling theory, which isn't (particularly) my bag, but it provided an opportunity to talk about theoretical ecology in general, and my projects in particular. So that's all good.

Oh, and we had the afternoons free, for kayaking and and George HW-spotting, among other things.


The latest trip was a biggie: the annual conference of the Ecological Society of America, held this year in exotic Milwaukee, WI. Another talk to give, which apparently went well, and another opportunity to make a few more connections, but I think I've had enough of travelling for a while.

It wasn't a surprise, then, when I reached some kind of mid-conference burn-out, but a day-trip with office-mate-Helene to Chicago was the ideal tonic. How time flies---this was the first time I'd been to Chicago since October of 2006, and a much better experience this time round.

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In between the two conferences, I had a wonderful opportunity to `meet the parents', in Georgia. Fun! Here I am in Gainesville, discussing my intentions for Allison with her father:


Here I am again, this time with Allison and sister Kitty, marvelling at the presidential suite in our hotel in Athens:


Athens, GA, you say? Isn't that where R.E.M. hail from, and didn't they name their most well-known record after an Athens eaterie? And did you make a pilgrimage to have your photo taken in front of said establishment? Why yes, I did!

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Next up, Peter`The Man' Mann tears shit up in Eugene. Watch out.