long time, no blog

ok, ok... I know it's been a while. I really had intentions of blogging while in Portland, but I just didn't have the time. So now I'm playing catch up and will hopefully not get behind again...

So blogworthy notes from the Portland trip-

1) My hassle free security plan is debunked. I stayed to the left lane in security at the Indy airport, and got sent over to the far right, only to be escorted through the air puff machine. GRRRR.

2) I wish I could tell you that Portland is a lovely city, but I can't because it rained the entire time I was there. I'm pretty sure there are trees and mountains around there, but I'd never know it. :)

3) I'm not meant to be 'urban'. I had to take this metro train from the hotel to the convention center every day- and was scared to death doing it- making sure it was the right train, right stop, where to sit, how to stand, etc. High school punks riding it to school each day, etc. And the germ factory element of it- hands everywhere. Not my cup of tea.

4) Things I wish I had done- Cirque Du Soleil, PBR tour (that's professional bull riding for those who don't know) - they were both in town, both costing $50 for seats, so I decided not to... but still think maybe I should have...

5) It dawned on me the other day that I think I am actually doing my job well. People know me, people from other universities... I'm published in 'the' journal for computer science education (not like there would really be more than one I suppose :) ), I'm being invited to present places I would otherwise have no business being- I may have reached the peak of my outreach career. So it's just downhill from here. :)

6) Portland is a clean city. Now I find that amazing because it rains all the time. It seems logical that the rain would wash things away and make it clean. But I know when it rains here, it just makes it messy, not clean. So... imagine my surprise when a) I wore khaki's all over Portland in the rain and not even A mud splatter on my pants and b) there were people outside in the rain cleaning the sidewalks and taking scufff marks off of huge planters, etc. In the rain!!!! Clean. And they don't have sales tax. That has nothing to do with them being clean, but still another amazement about Portland!

7) Flying from Indy through Houston to get to Portland was a bit ridiculous. I realized that with the amount of in-flight time it took for those flights (not the total travel time, just in-flight) I could have been in a different country on a different continent. But the things we won't do for flyer miles...

8) and my due justice for being greedy with flyer miles- messy travel on my return flight getting back to Indy on Saturday. And in the end, having to take a carrier that isn't in my flyer miles network. But lucky for me, I like to be early, so at least I was still able to get home that day. :)

9)eating at a swank japanese sushi restaurant with 9 computer science males, is quite the experience. I might just leave it at that. Except that I should mention it was followed by a visit to a swank chocolate shop next door- and they had bacon chocolate. Seriously. So I got some for my friend who was watching my house while gone, so i'll be happy to report back on how it is. (and sorry to craig hodges if you read this before I get it to you and it ruins the surprise... :) )

10) the only other observation I made from Portland is that I think the math education system is failing us. When the flight attendant announces we are boarding rows 15 and higher- inevitably people in rows 9, 10, 13, etc all go try to board. Every flight.

ok- so it's off to the east coast this week! Woo hoo! I will get to see 4.5 of my favorite people for 4 days in New Hampshire and then head to Boston to meet up with 8 of my favorite work colleagues! Hopefully, there will be more time for blogging there! At least there will be pictures.. I can guarantee that. Until then....