Learning important stuff

Please forgive me - this will be a quick post, without any more to come until probably next week. I'm in Canada for a conference. Specifically, I'm in Edmonton, which (for those of you not in the know) is very, very far away from where I live and yet still on  the same continent. It took a long time to get here, so long that I finished the book that was supposed to last me the entire week and instead I had to do actual work.

I have to say that as an American, Canada is the worst of both possible worlds. This is not their fault; the country (so far as I have explored it during this trip, with only my trips between dorm and conference center :) is lovely. But it's not foreign enough compared to America for it to feel exotic, yet it's different enough to be annoying. For example, they have the same boring big box stores, yet you have to struggle with unfamiliar money. It looks the same as the Midwest here (and they speak with the same long o vowel) but there's a 3% exchange fee every time I charge something. I had to go through customs, but the airlines don't really consider it foreign, so those new annoying fees for extra bags apply, just like on domestic flights.

But don't think I spend all my time complaining. The weather is sunny and cool and I'm having a great time. I should also mention how much I'm learning, in case my advisor (who shelled out big bucks on her grant to let me come) is reading this. Hearing new talks, check! Making professional connections, check! Gaining much education on your dollar, check! (Please let me go next time, too!)