and back again

For those who haven't been to PLDI and might by random chance be reading this, it is well worth it.  I learned a lot and finally got to put a lot of faces to names.  I also got to learn some new names.  It is definitely fun to spend time in such a large flock of birds of a feather. 


The best part for me was from some of my last minute decisions on some talks.  There were a few talks that were just closer or involved someone I met through random conversation that turned out to be very pleasant surprises, and possibly quite helpful for my research.


In the end, things seemed to run fairly smoothly.  It was nice to work as a captain for the student volunteers, as it gave the inside story on what was going on, and also increased my networking.


For those who couldn't stay much after the conference, take heart in that the weather never got sunny like it was for the conference again.  Beijing was amazing, but the photography is rough when everything is covered in a haze.