Conference

I started using a data visualization software about two years ago and last week got to go to the software's conference in New Orleans.  I've gone to plenty of pharma/biotech/chemical engineering conferences before but this was my first software one.  And it was a lot of fun! 

The conference center itself was enormous and I was seriously impressed with the amount of logistics and organization.  The conference was three and a half days, and for each of the full days they provided breakfast and lunch for all 20,000 people there and some days there was dinner too.  I haven't seen catering on that scale before.  In the large vendor hall there would be the hot food at either end and several stations with cold food for quick pickup in the center.  The food was New Orleans-themed and higher quality than the catered lunches at my office.  The first day's lunch had a beef short rib than I've had in some restaurants.  The next day had spiced chicken breasts, and the last day a Coca Cola brisket.  They also always had hot cooked vegetables and salad at lunch and offered fruit and oatmeal at breakfast so I didn't feel as unhealthy as I often do when I travel. 

The conference sessions were somewhat of a mixed bag.  The keynotes were all more theatrical than scientific conferences (they did a takeoff on Iron Chef called Iron Viz where three competitors made data visualizations on stage in twenty minutes).  Some of the breakout sessions had business-use cases that were interesting - particularly the questions afterwards that revealed everyone has similar business challenges I do, like "The executives at my company are reluctant to click on things" or "My bosses insist on getting things in email" or "No one codes this the way they're supposed to".  I went to one training that taught me I'm actually an advanced user of the software because the intermediate class was a snorefest.  But other trainings were very useful, showing me exactly why I've been having some errors I didn't understand. 

There were also other people from my company who were at the conference.  One was from my department, and another I knew from our manufacturing plant, and another that lady knew from supply chain.  Since we were all there, we went to dinners and events together.

The first night we ended up having dinner at a place called Red Fish Grill because it was near all our hotels.  I got red fish which was very tasty with the Cajun seasoning.  I also got their chocolate bread pudding which was amazing.  I remembered from the first time I was in New Orleans that bread pudding can be delicious rather than just a way to get rid of eggs and bread.  (I did exactly that too many times the summer I lived in Virginia and ended up thinking of bread pudding as trash food.)

 The next day the conference didn't start until the afternoon so my coworker and I went to Brennan's for brunch because it was near our hotel. It sounded as if it was somewhere hard to get into but we walked up right as they were opening and got right in.  My coworker got a scallop quiche and I got French toast which was lightly vanilla flavored and contrasted nicely with the tartness of the cranberry pear compote.  I also got a pot of chicory coffee which was deliciously dark and deep flavored. 

 That night the lady from manufacturing had gotten reservations at Commander's Palace, a fancy restaurant near the Garden District where there were beautiful old homes set back from oak-lined streets.  I got seared gulf fish with squash, which had a nice amount of spices and flavors.  They were known for their bananas foster so two of the others got that (I didn't because I'm allergic to bananas).  I got their bread pudding souffle which they're also well known for.  That turned out to be a standard raisin/cinnamon/rum sauce bread pudding topped with meringue which was too eggy for me but the others liked.

The next night we went to not one but two vendor parties.  I was never quite sure what the vendors did (analytics! consulting!  business intelligence!  words that have no direct meaning!), but they threw neat parties.  The first was in a restaurant near our hotel called Arnaud's.  They had set out shrimp cocktail, seafood pasta, gumbo, and turtle soup, and then waiters came around with deviled eggs, beef tartare, and tuna tartare.  Most of that wasn't up my alley but I did have the gumbo (fine, nothing remarkable) and tried the turtle soup (it tasted like chicken chili).

After that party we went to the next vendor party which was in Mardi Gras World, the big warehouse next to the convention center where they build the Mardi Gras floats.  It was neat to see the floats up close.  We were also able to see the programmable robot arm that carves the figures from styrofoam. That party was supposed to have food but we only saw a few trays of passed appetizers for a very large crowd (lamb chops and shrimp and grits, again all not up my alley) so after not too long we left to find a restaurant nearby for more substantial food.

We chose the most highly rated, closest restaurant and walked there.  We sat down, and then realized they had the most unusual menu any of us had ever seen.

In the end, we ordered the frog roll, the alligator over mashed chayote, the snapper (the most normal thing we got), the cabbage rolls, the beet pie, and a half dozen oysters.  By the time the food came I was so hungry I tried everything except the oysters (I had already catalogued the number and amount of snacks I had back in the hotel before coming to that conclusion).  The frog and alligator were flavored strongly enough and in such small pieces their taste didn't make an impression.  The frog had a very firm texture I didn't enjoy.  The chayote mostly tasted like potato, which was a positive.  The beet pie was very interesting because it was incredibly spicy and we couldn't figure out where from.  Then for dessert we got the fried rice balls that were covered in cilantro oil and jalapeno.  I haven't ever had a dessert burn my mouth from spiciness before.  Overall I was glad I tried so many unusual, strange things.

The next night was the conference's big party at the Superdome.  On the patio outside the dome they had food stands (bananas fosters ice cream pops, churros with a disposable pipet of caramel, jalapeno hush puppies, shrimp boil, macaroni and cheese with pulled chicken, and jambalaya) and a stage where bands played throughout the evening including the apparently famous Preservation Hall Jazz Band (they must be good - I liked them even though I still emotionally resent jazz after several years in jazz band in middle school and high school).  Inside the Dome they had other food (loaded tater tots, fried pickles, chili dogs, and Dippin Dots), a dance floor, the tunnel the Saints run through at the beginning of games, video game stations (they knew their nerdy audience), and several games and activities that had too long of lines for us to do (zip lining, field goal kicking, and a 50-yard dash).  When we were exploring the field at one point we ended up watching a dance-off between other attendees who were the unlikeliest guys to be good dancers.  I haven't smiled that hard in a long time.  It was amazing and ridiculous.

 The next night the same lady from manufacturing had made reservations at a place called Jacques Imo's.  The Lyft driver on the way over asked how we had found that place because it was considered a local's restaurant.

That restaurant was another new-species extravaganza though the overall menu was much more normal than the previous restaurant.  I ordered my own potato-crusted drum and the others got things like crawfish etouffee, paneed rabbit, and snails.  I only tried the rabbit.  It tasted like chicken.  Only a few of us got dessert (creme brulee, coconut bread pudding) and when they weren't on our bill, the waiter said it was his treat!  I haven't had that happen before.  I wonder if it was included in the price of our meal, he forgot and didn't want to ring up new checks, or we actually got comped something. Mysterious.

The next morning we all agreed to meet at Cafe Du Monde for beignets and chicory coffee before we all left for our flights.  When I went to check out of the hotel the lady behind the desk said "Oh, going to go see Hoda and Kathie Lee at Cafe Du Monde?" I was incredibly confused because I hadn't told her we were going to Cafe Du Monde and those weren't the right names.  After stammering something confused she said "The Today Show is filming at Cafe Du Monde today!"  That was a horrible harbinger of the restaurant being even more crowded than it normally was but we had all agreed to meet there so we set out anyway.  And as luck would have it, the lady from supply chain got there first and texted us to tell us that she had already snagged a table so we wouldn't have to wait!  As we were walking up we came across a crowd outside the Washington Artillery Park near a Mardi Gras float parked at the curb.  We started to push through the crowd when someone right in front of my apologized and I realized it was the lady from the show!  I didn't realize they would have so little security.

We met the other ladies at the cafe and order the delicious beignets and coffee.  We were almost done when we realized a table in the corner was being cleared and then set up with perfectly arranged plates and cups without anyone sitting there.  We deduced the TV show was about to shoot and decided to wait until we saw it. After a while the hosts came in and filmed a segment for 1-2 minutes, tops.  It was astonishingly fast!  It was also fascinating to see that ever single word they said was on a teleprompter on top of the camera.  Just as quickly they left. Within an hour the clip was online.  I can barely see my face in the background of a few shots, beside my coworker standing to take pictures.

After that we had to get to the airport to fly back home.  I don't think I've ever had as fun of a business trip.  I ate a bunch of new species, had several amazing meals, learned valuable tricks in the software I use, and found out the lady from manufacturing goes to a nearby church.  What a great week!

Great Day

Some days are just perfect.

Last Saturday I didn't have plans but wanted to get out of the house, so I thought I'd go do some of the "Places to Go" I've pinned for myself on Pinterest.  One was a thrift store warehouse near my office and another was to see the tiled steps up in SF.  Before I left I texted a friend whether she'd like to come and she responded in the best way a friend can - by volunteering her schedule.  "I can't today, but how about next Saturday?"

So yesterday we set off for an SF adventure.

I had floated the idea of stopping at Starbread Bakery and Susie was on board, so we first got (amazing) coffee at Philz in SSF then got a box of Senorita Bread at Starbread Bakery.  I'd already had coffee at home but I wasn't about to turn down Philz when Susie wanted to stop.  Turns out two cups of strong coffee keeps me up past midnight but I only found that out later.  The reason for Starbread was that someone had brought in the small buttery sweet rolls to work once and I was so entranced I wrote down their name.  The bakery was really a counter off to the side of an unappetizing looking noodle shop, and besides the senorita bread it seemed to mostly sell chicharones and the sweet potato-based desserts that I won't try because I learned my lesson with red bean paste that I can't get behind vegetables as dessert.  The little sweet rolls were delicious with the coffee. 

Properly fueled, we went to our first stop: slides.  I'd heard about SF slides - playground-like slides hidden on the city's hills.  So steep or rough you need cardboard to lubricate your ride down.  I'd prepared by filling my trunk with boxes from several orders of 0.22 um PES vacuum-top filters at work so we were ready.  The first slides were at Esmerelda park:

They were metal and let you go down quite fast.

They were the only slides I found in my searches ahead of time but Susie knew the name of the Seward park slides so we went there next.

Those slides were concrete but twistier so they felt more dangerous.  They definitely needed the cardboard, and it felt like you might scrape your knuckles off if you held the cardboard wrong.

After the slides we headed toward our first set of tiled steps but Susie noticed we were near Twin Peaks so we took a detour to see the view.

Twin Peaks gives a panoramic view of the whole city so we snapped lots of pictures.

After Twin Peaks we got back on track for the 16th Avenue tiled steps.

The steps were much taller than I had thought they'd be, and the mosaic transitioned from sea to earth to sky to sun.  Once we got to the top we saw we were at Grandview Park, another hill with a view of the city, but this time a sand dune.

We climbed back down all the stairs and had lunch at a nearby Thai restaurant before heading to the next tiled steps at Lincoln Park.

These stairs were shorter but wider, and more of a tile design than mosaic like the 16th Ave had been. 

After seeing those steps, I needed a pit stop so we went to Lands End and Susie planned to circle the car while I ran in to go to the bathroom at the gift shop.  But when I got out Susie was out of the car because she had found a parking spot.  Susie had never seen the Sutro Baths before, so we went down to check out the ruins.

From there we headed to the last item on the list, the Wave Organ near the Marina Green.  It took us a while to find where it was located near the end of the jetty, and we weren't able to hear much, but we ended up being right on the water to catch the sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge while the sailboats came in to finish their race.

 

(I wore this free jacket from work in case it got ruined on the slides. I think it makes me look like a gorilla.)

We stopped for dinner at Mel's Diner to let traffic die down before coming home.

I don't think I've ever had such a nice day in San Francisco.  The weather was gorgeous, we found parking pretty easily everywhere we went, we didn't pay for any parking at all, and the only homeless person we encountered was one who sat outside the window at Mel's and watched Susie intently while she ate her sandwich until the restaurant manager chased him off.

Most of these photos are Susie's because she takes better ones than I do.  She's a beautiful person and I'm glad we got to have that day together.

New Craft Room Colors

I had always known the yellow I painted the craft room was too dark.

For such a small room it was too intense.  But I only used the room to sew, occasionally iron, and as storage (I eventually hid a filing cabinet behind the door.

But this Christmas I decided to do something about it and repainted the room in Benjamin Moore's Natural Cream (adjusted down 50%, in flat Behr paint). 

I rearranged the furniture as well.  I was surprised that the room seems bigger with the desk against the window rather than against the wall, where it fit so perfectly. 

I also moved in the leaning ladder bookcase I had built for my bedroom but found too large for that space.  So now I'm building a corner leaning ladder bookcase for the bedroom.  It's not going well - it's mostly held together with glue and wood putty and all the shelves are tilted because I didn't realize the frame wasn't on level ground when I was installing them.  Oh well.  I'll stain it really dark and I know from experience I eventually forget about the imperfections.

I figure I'm making functional furniture, not heirlooms.

It's Not Okay

The older I get the less I say "It's okay" in situations where that's the obvious social expectation.

A coworker screamed in my face at a meeting for whispering in the background.  Later,
    Her: I hope I didn't offend you.
    Me: [Pause] Well, I was talking on a sidebar.

A college student called half an hour after a scheduled informational phone interview.
    Her: I forgot I had a midterm I had to study for.
    Me: [Pause] I'm still free, we can still talk.


Because it's not okay. 

I was standing in a circle with four men at work who are at least ten years older than me, including two of my bosses.
    Coworker: I'd tell a [dirty] joke, but, well, Abby's here.
    Me: [Smile politely and keep standing there so he can't tell it and doesn't get a reaction from me.]

I don't want to acquiesce or give permission to things that aren't okay.

That is my rebellion.

Bedroom Colors

After some time, the mint green on the bedroom walls was too much. 


I don't think it was a record number of paint testers to pick a new color, but it was close.  Oatbran, Asiago, Oatlands Subtle Taupe, and Woodrow Wilson Putty.  I thought Asiago was too pale in the sunlight, but Oatbran and Oatlands Subtle Taupe were too dark without direct light.  Even though I had wanted more of a greige than a beige Woodrow Wilson Putty was the winner by default!








Now it looks calm and neutral but not too plain in daylight:

 
 And in lamplight:



I've decided to start an Excel document with my paint colors because blogging them is likely a strange system.

Paint Colors

In an update on paint colors, I painted my small bathroom.

 The wall color is Benjamin Moore's "Violetta", adjusted down 25 or 50% (I forget), in Behr paint.

I also painted the vanity in Benjamin Moore's Sihouette, in actual Benjamin Moore Advance paint, because that's so good for cabinets.

I Take the "I" Out of iPhone

As time goes on, I am increasingly challenged on my decision not to have a smart phone.

Sometimes the issue comes up when someone sees my phone.

Sometimes the issue comes up when I ask for directions to a location ("Let's all meet at [restaurant name]. What do you mean, 'Where is it'?  Just look it up.").  

Sometimes the issue comes up when I have to correct an underlying assumption ("We can just require every employee to complete their lab safety inspection using an iPhone app on their personal phones.")

My slide phone (and landline) are generally met with an incredible level of disbelief.  It is never accepted without question.  Normally there is a barrage of questions about my reasons and motives, none of which are satisfactory.  So, to organize my own thoughts, and prepare for the next onslaught, here are the reasons I do not have a smart phone.

1.  I am cheap.  

There is no denying that my current phone plan is cheap.  I'm on a family plan with my parents which costs $20-$30 a month depending on which additional line I am considered.  Since my dad refuses to bill me, whenever I visit my parents I slip a twenty into his wallet and softly call out what I'm doing to which he replies "Okay, sure!" because his hearing aids aren't in and he's pretending he can hear me.

2.  I don't need another distraction.

Trust me, I waste plenty of time on the Internet as it is.  Between 10 pm and 11 pm, I spend a good half hour to 45 minutes consciously procrastinating going to bed by reading news and joke websites.  It's stupid and I know it but I do it every single day.  Plus, I'll admit I've been spending a ludicrous amount of time playing Jurassic Park Builder on the Nexus tablet I won at a conference (notice a theme of me being reluctant to pay for technology for myself).  I've been going into work around 20 minutes later than usual for the past six months just so I can poke at dinosaurs and collect their dino coins.  If I had dinosaurs in my palm all the time?  I can't even imagine.

3.  I would rely on it as a social crutch

Like everyone else.

4.  I own a GPS

Everyone, when trying to explain how useful a smart phone is, mentions maps.  Funny thing, that's what a GPS does.  Without a monthly subscription cost.

5.  I want to leave work at work

Because of the nature of my job, I'm on call for manufacturing 24/7 for a big chunk of the year.  I also frequently work weekends or holidays because cell culture experiments work that way.  Having a smart phone capable of having work email all the time would mean I have work email in the little time I currently have away from work.  I don't want the capability or the expectation that work invade every hour of the day.

6.  I want to leave email at work

Because my work requires so much email, I've started to feel like email is work.  Even to people I like.  There are a few people, like my friends from high school and my family, who I think "get" me enough that I can write in my natural voice, but with most other personal emails I have to exert a day job level of effort to avoid inadvertently sounding bitter or sarcastic.  

Sarcasm is my first language.  Polite and chipper is a hard-won second.

7.  I charge my phone around twice a week

Not all the time that it's not in my hand.  Not in the car.  Not with a borrowed charger at a party.  My phone battery lasts over four days, and that's only when it gets down to 60% and I charge it because I paranoid and always think of a massive emergency scenario where I'm forced to evacuate my home and would want enough cell phone charge to call my family.  

This is also why I fill my car with gas when it reaches the half tank.

8.  I want to be aware of the world around me

I feel time.  I wait in lines.  I read books on buses.  I remember things rather than Instagram things.  

I want to be the one to notice if someone brandishes a gun.

9.  I don't want to carry something that expensive around all the time

If I lose my phone, it's not the end of the world.  Or the end of my paycheck.

10.  I don't want to be the most important person in my life

I'm part of what is probably the last generation that will remember a time before Facebook.  I've seen the Internet and social media twist slowly from an experimental realm you used to discover new things to a space where everyone carefully crafts an image of themselves, carefully choosing what to share, what to show off.  I'm starting to hear "Look at me!  Look at me!  Look at me!" reverberate inside my head when I look at Facebook or Instagram.  If we all think only about ourselves, what we'll post, how many likes we'll get, where do other people fit into our lives except as backup players on our stage (or likers to our posts, commenters on our status)?  I don't want my life to be all about me.  We're all players on the stage but it's not my stage.  

And I don't want a device in my hand that implies otherwise.