Conference in NOLA

Isn't great when the big professional association has meetings in fun places?  2 weeks ago our national conference was in NOLA.  TM and I went and spent most of our time in the quarter (away from the meetings).  It was a fabulous break.

Our hotel

My presentation was on Thursday morning.  It went well, despite a somewhat snarky comment about whether I had IRB approval to do my project, which I did. (Ha, take that aging hippie anthropologist- now go cut your hair and buy a good bra!)  It was nice to get the presentation out of the way because it left time for fun.

Thursday night I met up with a few current friends in the hotel bar for overpriced drinks! Even had drinks with Mr. Modernity himself (AA) who was in the sauce for sure.  Then it was off the length of French Market to find one of two vegetarian restaurants in NOLA with RT and family.  It was great to see them and catch up on the gossip, but visiting had to be cut short since my feet were hurting, from the shoes I had just gotten.  

My new "walking" shoes- very practical

We spent Friday with a dear family friend visiting museums and chatting.  Then Friday night we met up with my uncle for Tapas and Sangria.

Saturday I had to work all morning, but not without getting chicory coffee first.  I worked the school's booth at the grad student fair.  It was pretty much a bust, but I did get to engage in a great conversation with a local gal who told me she was looking into getting a PhD because she didn't want to have to hide her tattoos at work.    

At the fair I also ran into two friends from my undergrad days- my old advisor and another student.  It was great to catch up with them.

That afternoon TM and I circled the quarter.  We swung by Jackson Square, where I overheard a conversation that was SO New Orleans.  It was between two fine young gentlemen partaking in "the marijuana."  One asked the other if he had been by to see so-n-so.  The young man's response was "Hell, no.  Wednesday I was smoking crack!"  It was one of those moments where you think, "God I love this city."

After that TM and I went to Napoleon house for a muff and a pimm's cup.  We even got one for the road.  It made listening to that panel on development in Latin America much better!

Saturday evening the midwest state university contingent went and had drinks at the bar in the Roosevelt hotel. Then we all walked ACROSS NOLA to a reception for DML.  At the reception the very famous anthro's wife asked me who I was and who had invited me.  It was not awkward at all.

By the time TM and I made it back to our hotel we were starving, but nothing was open so we finished the night off with coffee and beignets at Cafe Du Monde.

It was really the perfect long weekend!

Update

The myth that I would have more time to do my own work because I wasn't teaching this year has been officially shattered.  I have not actually had more free time, now I just get everything done instead of half-assing most of my work.  It is the ongoing mystery of graduate school: how do you have time to do research when being a graduate student keeps getting in the way.  That said I have been relatively productive- for instance today I read a book on coffee and land policy in colonial Guatemala.

Here is what has been happing (a photo montage): 

Halloween, maybe not the best representation of our department, or really of Jersey...

DJ Pauly D (me), la diabla, and Snookie

At da club
Yes- that is my advisor dressed as a church lady
and TM dressed as Guy F from the Food Channel

As you can imagine this required some recovery time... and a lot of scrubbing to get all the bronzer off.  But we were perhaps the best costumes in town.

 I needed to make up for lost time spent getting my Gym, Tan, Laundry on in preparation for Halloween.

Quiet Saturday Study Time in the PhD office

Denying the onset of winter with a decidedly summer dinner of crudités and mint yogurt dip