back from Denver, off to Iowa

My trip to the SIM conference in Denver went very well. It was good to get to know my co-workers, Ken and Xueli, better and also to meet some new people. The convention was held at the Denver Hyatt, which was lovely. However, I was surprised at the stinginess of the hotel. For example, the room contained a great flat-panel TV, but there was absolutely nothing that I could watch on that TV for free - not even network TV. But on the other hand, the hotel did have a lot of great free amenities, such as a gym, pool and hot tub. It was fun to compare the email updates that I received from my pet sitters. Dominika said that Sheba was "the nicest dog that she ever met", while Tammy said that Cassie growled and hissed at her - embarassing, but not surprising.

This week I'm headed off to Iowa State University for two days. My department (Chemical and Biological Engineering) is having their annual one-day faculty retreat and have invited me to join them. Then I will spend one day doing an inventory on my lab space. The previous professor in my speciality left behind some equipment, so I need to get a feel for what's there and what I still need to order. It's all very exciting! I'm flying to Iowa on Wednesday night and will be back late Friday night.

I am continuing to enjoy the outdoor opportunities here in Florida. Last weekend a few of us made another beach trip. Instead of making a fourth trip to St. Augustine, we decided to try Daytona Beach. The differences between the two beaches were amazing, especially considering that they are only 60 miles apart. The waves at Daytona Beach were much gentler and the water didn't taste as salty or bitter. And NO, we don't intentionally taste the water, but sometimes you just can't help getting some in your mouth. But despite the nice features of Daytona Beach, half of our group ended up getting stung by jellyfish. Luckily, no one was seriously injured and I was NOT one of the people who got stung. Daytona Beach pictures here. Yesterday, Dominika, Agnieszka and I tried "tubing" at Ichetucknee springs. I have previously posted about my kayaking expeditions at Ichetucknee springs (pictures, video), but "tubing" was an entirely new experience. We had a wonderful time and are going to play hookey one day this week and go again. I will post a more detailed description and pictures soon.

I read and enjoyed the newest Harry Potter book last weekend. I thought it was the most exciting of the entire series. To prevent giving anything away, I won't say anything else.

Like most of the country, we are having a heat wave. When I drive home at 5pm, it is often 100F or higher. And one day our overnight low was only 78F! But, it's really not that bad and I am super grateful to finally have a car with functional air conditioning! The worst thing about the heat is it makes it difficult for Sheba and I to get our long walks in. For now, we get up before sunrise and walk 2 miles - but even then it's uncomfortably hot.