[AGU] Step 4: Show Off.

Of course, I went about my presentation business with utmost respect for my colleagues and a calm demeanor but hey - when we come here to present research, part of what we do is show off how sweet our equipment and analysis are.

Everything today went really well. I got a bunch of business at my poster and most people were very interested in hearing about the final results of whatever this study becomes; I heard a lot of encouragement to publish and that is certainly what we will try to do when we feel like we have examined every angle. There was a good balance between understanding nods and critical feedback so I felt like I got my point across but presented it at a level that didn't sound trivial to professional researchers. The networking highlight of the day came when Marc introduced me to a man whose name I had come across in the literature and that man said something like, "Oh yes! Matt Young - I recognize the name." He could have "recognized the name" because he read it in the daily poster presenter line-up but those are nice words to hear.

This afternoon, Hyomin gave his talk and I think he did a very good job, especially since our statistical findings were sometimes at odds with the theoretical literature. This happens often and is a fundamental result of the scientific process but it is never easy to stand up in front of a crowd and report unexpected results with confidence. For me, his talk was another stern reminder that I need to be certain of what I give him when he asks me to perform small projects related to his study. When I saw my graphs on the screen and heard him incorporate my analysis into his conclusions, I was glad to be able to remind myself that I had triple-checked all that stuff I handed him.

I had yummy Indian food for dinner last night. I left the Moscone Center and walked around for a while and I'm glad I did because it took walking up to the Nob Hill area (that's where Grace Cathedral is and I do mean up) to remember that there is an excellent Indian/Pakistani place called Danbar on Polk. Here's what's even better, though: the bar Blur is also on Polk and it just so happened that ol' Kearsarge boys Ty and Jon were both working (Ty reads trivia and Jon bartends). I had a good relaxing time preparing for this morning and catching up with them. I love trivia nights but I am terrible at getting the actual questions right so it was fun to be able to guess at the answers without laying my pride on the line.

Tonight is Aziza night!