So here I am in Chicago. I'm at a communication conference for school. Before I left, my heart was breaking. I couldn't imagine being away from the family for even 2 days. Especially since I'm still breastfeeding Oliver -- we really do have a special physical bond. I really do like this conference, though, so I knew that once I got here it would be okay. I love to fly, especially alone. Isn't that weird? I guess it makes me feel like a grown up. And it gives me a chance to veg out and do whatever I want. I love hotels, too. We are staying in the Hilton, which is sooo nice. Although I hate giving even a dime to the Hilton empire, because in my mind, it all ends up being funneled to Paris and her dog Tinkerbell. Really, for all of the money that family has, they should just let us all stay here for free. But if we have to pay, it is kind of worth it. The bed is so soft -- even the carpets are ridiculously plush. And in what is the coolest thing ever (especially given my recent and growing obsession) the downstairs bar turns into a Starbucks in the morning!!
The conference itself is also pretty good. There are tons and tons of "sessions" to go to in which 3-4 people present papers that they have written. Each session is, of course, centered around a theme. You can just go through the program and put together a schedule of pretty interesting stuff. You can also make sure that you go to sessions of people whose work you have read for research or in class. Really cool in a geeky kind of way. The conference is also a really good time to catch up with friends that I don't get to see very often. It has been really great seeing everyone that I miss for the other 51 weeks of the year. And I'm getting used to presenting papers, too. I co-presented yesterday and it went pretty well. I'm even having drinks -- woo hoo! And there are parties to go to. And a job fair for those of us desperately in need of a job -- I even have an interview set up for this morning. All in all, it's a combination of fun and work packed into a very short window of time.
However, all of my mom instincts are not gone. I'm pumping breastmilk like crazy -- I am truly a woman obsessed. So even though I am drinking, I weigh each drink carefully, just so that I don't have to dump too much milk. And I'm locking myself in the hotel room for a while this afternoon just so that I can get work done on my dissertation. No use wasting time having fun -- if I have 3 hours without distraction, I need to use it for work!
