Miami

Last week, I spent a few days in Miami for work purposes. The work part itself was long and sometime unrelenting, but I managed to get out a bit for lovely dinners with co-workers and a bit of drooling over the posh hotels and restaurants in and around South Beach.

(The walkway to the pool at the Loews Hotel)

I had some lovely views from the boardwalk outside the hotel. It was enough to take away the stress and backaches from work and make me believe (just for a second) that I was on vacation.

On the last night in town, we ladies had a lovely seafood dinner down on South Beach. The street we walked down struck me as a mezclada of a more modern vibe and the old, art deco Miami years that you grow up hearing about. Live (and lively!) Cuban music drifted down the street from a restaurant's front porch. It almost seemed as though Lucy and Ricky could be coming around the corner at any moment.

Chicago

When I was in Chicago a couple of weeks ago (Query: why do people there call it "Chicagoland"?), I went to the Art Institute of Chicago for the afternoon. It is a massive place with a lot of famous paintings (some shown below). I am more of a person who likes paintings (the impressionist section was quite nice); I have trouble really getting the super modern art (a la Jackson Pollack and friends).

There were several Monets ("Water Lillies" below) which I stared at so long the staff probably wondered if I was casing the joint.

(Water Lillies)

 

And in another gallery, tucked back in what felt like a hidden nook, I found this woman all dressed up and writing about the paintings. She was super fancy looking, and for a moment I felt like I'd accidentally wandered into a movie from the 1960s.

(A Sunday on La Grande Jatte and myself)

But the one of the best paintings I saw was A Sunday on La Grande Jatte : also seen in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. This was the only famous painting I saw that seemed to be as large as it should be. Many of the other ones were a lot smaller than I thought they'd be.

And I couldn't leave without seeing "American Gothic." That was a fun one too...even if Sarah and I got super lost in the modern part of the gallery when we were trying to find it....

(American Gothic)

Smarts

Dear Conference Attendees,

One nice thing about these conferences is that you are provided with a badge that not only gets you into the sessions and exhibits hall but also helps prompt you when you meet someone whose name you should know. Sometimes the larger conferences will even give you badge holders that are designed to carry your name tag, business cards, and some pens/pencils. These are quite spiffy when you compare them to the crappy plastic envelopes with stretchy string that catches your hair and occasionally snaps the badge up to hit you in the nose when you're trying to take off your scarf.

Other meetings provide flare for your badge holder...because nothing is more lame than just a card with your name and university.

I know these conferences can be expensive, and I understand that you would want to get your money's worth. However, as much as this may be the case, and as cool as those badge holders are PLEASE stop wearing them outside the convention. You look lame. And not only that, but you are making yourself a target for muggers and hooligans in general. Don't you remember those public service announcements in the 1980s/1990s where parents were urged not to sew or otherwise attach their child's name onto their clothes? How vulnerable that made the unsuspecting child to a kidnapper. Though you, conference attendee, are grown up now, this same principle still applies. What could be more irresponsible then walking the streets of a large, unfamiliar city with a large, brightly colored square around your neck proclaiming "I don't live here!! And since I'm basically a tourist I probably have lots of cash and/or credit cards!!" 

Instead, get all you can from a conference by attending all of the receptions, poster sessions, breakfast meetings you can...basically anywhere you might find food. Drink to excess on the cheap wine and the Bud Light. Stuff those pretzels and spinach and cheese pinwheels into your suit pockets/purse/badge holder. After all, it's free, and they're just going to pitch the leftovers anyway.

Please, save yourself the embarrassment and possibly bodily harm by removing your badge as you leave the convention center/conference hotel/business meeting. Then you can go back to looking like a normal person.

Sincerely,

All the Exhibitors Who Know Better

Out of Office

Last week I spent several rainy days in Portland, Oregon. It was a work trip (so not much time for exploring), but I managed to find some time to break away on my own. Portland is a nice city for getting around inexpensively (read: free public transportation), and even though the weather was chilly and rainy it felt like appropriate fall weather.

On Wednesday, Irma from Books and I went to the well-known Powell's Bookstore on our lunch break. It was the only full day without rain-which was good because we ended up walking several blocks from the light rail stops.I'm not sure how long we were in the bookstore, but it wasn't enough time to fully explore the four stories of books on anything and everything imaginable.

We stopped at a bakery for sandwiches and then easily found the route back to the train. The neighbourhood was nice and filled with cafes and small parks...where we were suddenly confronted with some wildlife:

And I almost didn't make it back....

But everything turned out fine in the end, and now I'm back in Pennsylvania where the weather can't make up its mind and there are no elephants (but we do have a giant clothespin).

(Me in Portland)

He's Not Heavy; He's My Brother

Besides being extremely cute and able to grow a full beard by the age of 16, my little brother Jake is quite helpful around the house. Well, he doesn't live at my house, but every now and then I can get him to come by and help out with things (some physically demanding and some not). During my Insane Summer of Work Travel, Jake and his girlfriend Emily (Jemily, collectively) were sweet enough to drive me to the airport at 4am. Two. Weeks. In. A. Row. Saints, they are.

Yesterday, Jake was back to help me take out my air conditioner and put the storm door in.  It takes him 10 minutes to do something that would take me 2 hours and lots of swearing to accomplish. And, of course, he even brings his giant purple van, known as "The Tank", to haul away said air conditioner to be stored in my parents' basement until next summer.

(He walks through doors too)

In the process of moving things around, I was stupid enough to accidentally break one of the legs on one of my antique end tables. It was bad. But who is going to save the day and fix it? Jake, of course!

City Walls

You are never too old to have a field trip.

Today we went on a work field trip around the city on the Mural Mile Tour. Our guide from the Mural Arts Program took us around Philly on foot, and pointed out several murals. We learned about how they are made, who helps put them together, and we even discovered a mural that didn't look like your typical mural (and a parking garage that didn't look like your typical parking garage).

If you come to Philly and are looking for something different to do, I would highly suggest the Mural Mile Tour. They also do a summer tour called "Ale and Arts"  which is something that sounds like the beginning of a lovely evening.

Yes, ale is included.

Some of my favorite murals are below:

(photo by Debbie Lovell)

(photo by Debbie Lovell)