Boston, as far as I could tell, comprised an assortment of adorable and expensive three-story brick buildings and a thick, impenetrable, and persistent grey fog. We’d arrived on the early flight in a drizzle and taken a Lyft to our AirBNB in the Back Bay area, and I had yet to see either the sun or the top of a building. Several construction projects shot up into the mist, worklights shining weirdly. It looked like a scene from Blade Runner.
Although I didn’t see the sun until Thursday, I think, Boston – and Goldschmidt – did not disappoint. I presented my poster on Monday evening and had the rest of the week to loiter in Precambrian sessions and drink wine, stress-free. I met a couple of great people, nervously introduced myself to at least one person who I could eventually see myself post-doc-ing with, and had some excellent, motivating conversations about my research. I wandered around Chinatown and unwittingly got drinks at the Ritz. (They somehow brought an Irish whisky instead of the scotch I ordered, but it was delicious and it all worked out.) I walked on many cobblestone sidewalks. I ran through the Boston Gardens and saw the Good Will Hunting bench and passed many gorgeous townhouses that reminded me of Paris. I saw some great, thought-provoking talks. I (hopefully) avoided the cold that everyone, including my labmate with whom I was sharing the AirBNB, seemed to catch. So Boston was good.
Conference season isn’t quite over: I’m hoping to present some exciting phosphorus data at Midwest Geobiology at Northwestern Univ. in October, and I might come to GSA just because it’s so close. But before any of that, I’m leaving for a last vacation this summer: on Tuesday, I’ll be heading to Seattle. We’ll spend a week sailing around Puget Sound, hiking and exploring and (me) learning how to sail.
I just need to make some figures and write a draft before I leave. It’ll be fine. 📷