The Windy City... Oh and a Conference

 I had a opportunity to ride on my first double decker train.  The train ride was quite nice and very inexpensive compared to the southern hemisphere.  The seats were clean and had no particular smell to them.  I took this train from my grandparents house into downtown Chicago. I had a chance to meet interesting characters, just like many mass transit experiences in the past.  There was a group of 30-something gentlemen sitting behind me that were enjoying a good after-work drink while on the train.  Interestingly, there is a ticket-person on the train that sells you the ticket, after you get on the train.  It's been awhile since I've bought a ticket away from a automated booth. 

The real purpose of my trip home and to Chicago was for a conference.  Interestingly, I waited to go to the conference until the last day.  I had a poster presentation at 8am, which is a horrible time for poster sessions, in my opinion... especially on the last day of the conference.  Poster sessions are unpleasant enough, by themselves.  I have to say that it felt a little weird to miss almost an entire conference, except for this part.  The beauty of the session is that they had a fair amount of free coffee right in front of me.  I did manage to hear a couple speakers after the poster presentation.  That made the trip more worthwhile, despite falling asleep during one of the less interesting presentations.   

During the conference, there was also a army conference.  There was some yelling from various conference rooms, which surprisingly enough was not the professors and medical doctors.  I also had to use the little cowboy's room while at the conference.. due to the free coffee.  I set my poster in a FedEx box outside of the restroom, as it seemed inappropriate to bring it with me.  One of the army gentlemen yelled in the bathroom, in a Sergeant-like voice asking who's box was outside.  I was the one citizen in the bathroom and I claimed the box.  He yelled back in stating that I should not leave a box with the army in the same building.  I guess I should have brought it in with me, despite my original opinion.  I'm not quite sure how I would have managed my business, though, considering men's floors are not the best place for setting absorbent materials, like boxes.