MSPeconomist

I'm about to attend my first in-person conference in over 26 months--there isn't even a virtual option being provided. In addition to sessions, there are coffee breaks, a luncheon, a dinner, and a few exhibits. It looks like it will be somewhat bigger than usual and especially I see a lot of participants from abroad: South Korea, Japan, mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia(!), a couple countries in equatorial Africa, a couple countries in South America, Germany, France, UK, Spain, Italy, UAE, and more. It will be interesting to see how many people show up. The room block is sold out. The conference is requiring either proof of vaccination or a T-72 PCR test using the CLEAR app; we'll see how that works too. The hotel supposedly requires guests to wear masks, but I'll believe it when I see it.

SuperG1955

Where will it be? Someplace exciting like FAR?

El Boocho

we have green parrots occasional and they are crazy loud. Sounds like a troop of screeching monkeys (or parrots I guess…). They fill a tree and make a terrible noise. So weird, it is almost unbelievable if you haven’t experienced it.

El Boocho

i’ve been to several conferences in the last six months. People seem to follow the rules. The last one required you to show vaccination or a clean test, but once you were their masks were not required. That one was in San Francisco. Usually you provide your proof ahead of time, or they will ask you to provide it when you get your badge at registration/check in.

MSPeconomist

All the conferences in my field have either been cancelled or virtual since about January 2020, although I should point out that there rarely are any conferences in February (although at one time there was a good small one that met over the Presidents' Birthday holiday in California every year). Another one that had been planned for late April was cancelled recently. OTOH, there's something scheduled for Australia in July; we'll see how that works.

wakesetter93

Award availability finally opened up on DOH-MLE so I was able to cut the Colombo connection from my itenirary. Unfortunately, it's 5 hours on an A320 without lie flats, but I'll have 8.5 hours in Doha to rest.

MSPeconomist

I/my or we/our? Isn't this supposed to be your honeymoon? I hope you're planning to allow your wife to rest in Doha too.

wakesetter93

Good catch! I'm sure she will be resting while I lounge hop in Doha

mattp1987

I’m going to have to back out of Happy Hour plans tonight.

Zorak

Can you just leave the camera on so we can talk to the cats?

(Hope everything's ok!)

mattp1987

They’ll be in bed by then! Things are fine; I just had a change of plans and have to work Friday after all. Since I’ll be the senior person in the office, I should probably show up at a reasonable time. Late night Happy Hour doesn’t lend itself well to early mornings.

wakesetter93

Morning lounge! I’m in the Uber to DFW to start my bachelor party shenanigans. I may pop into HH for a second tonight but that is up in the air at this point.

navi_jen

Did I forget to mention, one highlight of my crazy return travel to the states? DL seems to have returned Michel et Augstin Chocolate squares to the snack basket. I may or may not have squealed in delight. And, I may have been offered an extra to take home. Yum.

Happy Thorsday

kipper

I wish I would've known. I had an offer for a full rebate on those in the fall. My mother enjoyed them, but I think she gave some of the bags to friends. Had I known you loved them, I would've sent the box to you.

kipper