Conference #1: Seattle May or May Not Be the Subject of This Post

Hello loves.

I recently discovered that including pictures in blog posts is really fun (even when they're not my own, though it's much more fun when they are).  In that spirit, and because I'm too mentally exhausted to craft a proper post, I've decided to provide a little travelogue of my aforementioned conference attendances.

To start: Conference #1.  Guess the supremely obvious Northwestern location!

It may or may not have a very famous marketplace and generally overcast climate...

Said marketplace may or may not have a big fluorescent "Lower Floor" arrow with which I am in love...

The marketplace also may or may not be staffed by friendly people eager to hand out delicious apple samples (like this guy)...

This theater entrance may or may not be covered in chewed gum...

The mass of gum may or may not have smelled overwhelmingly and deliciously fruity, in spite of being disgusting to behold...

This peace sign may or may not have been spray-painted upside-down...

I may or may not have seen these little robot men throughout this mystery city...

I may or may not be sick of this "may or may not" convention I'm beating into the ground...

I may or may not be able to sustain the sense of mystery much longer, since there are only so many cities where people famously throw fish around...

You may or may not have guessed that the mystery city is...

Seattle!!  (Hurrayyyy no more "may or may nots"!  Oh wait...)

Molly Moon's honey lavender ice cream may or may not be to die for. (Hint: It most certainly may!)

Do you love this "Lower Floor" arrow as much as I do?  You may or may not.

...Is it apparent I'm really tired yet?

Suffice it to say, in spite of being delighted to spend the Christmas holiday at the where-I-grew-up home, finals never really came to an end for me this semester.  I've been working on the assessment report for my testing client, figuring out which externships I'm applying to, finishing up data stuff for my thesis, and thinking about finishing the paper that's due before spring classes start up mid-January (only at the thinking about stage on that last one... I can only handle so much at once).

I'm very very tired. 

More than anything, I would love to have just one day where I didn't have to think about grad school (let alone do grad school-related work).  We'll see if I manage to snag one of those days before the minute winter break I have disappears.

Up next: Pictures from Conference #2, the final list of movies I've seen in 2010, and if we're really super lucky, one last end-of-year review!

'Til then.

<3