I was walking around exploring on my first day, when I passed a group of teenagers boys, standing on the street goofing off. I passed by and apparently caught their eye. A few minutes later, I hear strains of “Pretty woman, walking down the street” being sung in unison behind me. It made me smile. I smiled even more when they didn't know the lyrics beyond the first line and had to “Da, da, da” their way through the next line.
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Seeing Al Gore speak is apparently a religious experience for most scientists. He was the keynote speaker at our partner conference. (The conference I was attending is not nearly big enough to host such a distinguished speaker. If it had been up to my conference, I probably would have heard Al Gore’s middle school science teacher speak.) In any case, the crowd waiting to get in got impatient and when the doors to the hall opened, people poured in, pushing so hard that I was afraid if I fell I’d be trampled. Soon after we entered, the attendants forced the doors closed and some people weren’t allowed in. After his talk, there was much inspired talk in the elevators. The last time I’ve encountered such devotion was when Leonard Nimoy spoke at a Star Trek convention.
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I had to catch the train to the airport during rush hour. I was worried that my large suitcase and I would be precariously balanced while standing in a crowded car. But when I boarded, half of the seats were empty. What’s up with that? In DC, a rush-hour ride means you will be sharing a square meter of space with five of your new best friends. Does this mean the DC metro is woefully inadequate to its appointed task? Or is the
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I am sorry to report that the downturn in the economy has also impacted the conference goodie bag. In the past when I've attended conferences, the organizers have provided the attendees with high quality umbrellas (a fitting gift for a Seattle conference) or a USB key drive. This year I came away with a flimsy reusable bag and some chapstick emblazoned with the conference logo. Chapstick? I guess I'll have to get used to attending conferences just to discus work.
4 comments:
So cool you got to see Al Gore! I would say your train experience is an unusual one. Was it the blue line or the orange?
I think it is amazing that the teens knew the song. Looks like you still have what it takes!!
rush hour is the one time you can mostly rely on public transit in Amsterdam.
Chap stick - maybe they are planning the next conference in Phoenix.
When I walk down the street in Chicago my partners are humming the Darth Vader theme - no quite the same effect.
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