I will be going on at least ten trips over the next three months, starting with San Diego last week for a conference. This Sunday I leave for Edinburgh, UK for another conference, followed by some fun times in London with Sisi and Yong-Hwa. There’s also DC, Portland, Vegas, Anaheim, Vermont, Massachusetts, Burning Man, and assorted camping trips. I don’t know if that will translate into more blogging or less, but I promise to keep you abreast of any and all debauchery.
At least three of the trips (Edinburgh, DC, and Anaheim) involve me giving a talk of some form, which means I have to convincingly feign cognizance. Sean is tying the knot in Portland, which will either make him a married man or qualify him to become an eagle scout. Or a sailor. Vegas is the MIT Pi Reunion, roughly 3.14 years after our graduation; I’ve got a room at the Wynn and tickets to Cirque. Vermont is a revivification of an old tradition, except in a better house and with people who care about each others well-being. I haven’t seen my family in a solid while, so I’ll be stopping there afterwards to raid the fridge and reluctantly (but with secret glee) accept numerous hugs.
Preparations for Burning Man have been ongoing for months now, beginning with the building of a 40′ diameter geodesic dome out of metal conduit piping (our trial assembly). The current projects involve making a cover for the dome, so that we can live inside of it happily, and designing the art car, which will apparently have wings. I joined up with a camp called DeMaTerial, which has gone to Burning Man before and includes several of my friends. I’m a playa virgin, so this will be a new experience.
I’ve been making an effort to leave my comfort zone whenever possible. I think it helps me grow as a person and inspires new ideas. Somewhere between Scotch tasting in the Scottish highlands and living in the Nevada desert in a colorful hemisphere of pipes and hotel sheets, I ought to be planted firmly outside of that comfort zone.
I hope it inspires more than just discomfort.
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June 18th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
Burning Man sounds uncomfortable — in a new experience kind of way — [insert joke here about uncomfortable new experiences] — can’t wait for the Burning Man blog entry! (And to see you in Portland where I become a sailor)
June 18th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
Thanks, Sean. I am excited to see you join the ranks of the navy men. It seems so fitting. For as long as I’ve known you, I’ve looked at you and thought, “seamen”.
June 21st, 2007 at 8:13 am
if going back to school means summers off to do all that.. i need to quit working
June 22nd, 2007 at 8:49 am
Personally, I’m excited to see Adam go into the Nevada desert a computer scientist and emerge a performance artist.
June 25th, 2007 at 7:39 am
Gee, Adam. It sounds as if you have a real adventure in store for you this summer. If you really wanted to pull yourself out of your comfort zone, you could have reserved a few moments at Loch Ness and let a ‘kelpie’ take you for a ‘wee’ ride. On second thought, I do want you to return home fully intact even if it is just to ‘raid the fridge’ and get ‘numerous hugs’!