In the interest of full disclosure...

I just got back yesterday from a conference in New York: the ASA annual meetings. I had a pretty good time in the city, except for the fact that my brother and his wife left after the first two days. I can't fault them for it, though, since they had plans to go to the beach in NC for their first wedding anniversary. It was pretty empowering to walk around the city by myself, and find my own ways to the things I needed and wanted to do.* And I'm always down for some New York pizza. I'd rather share it, but I'm not above eating by myself. :)

My brother and his wife's absence did mean, however, that I spent a lot more time in the Rockefeller Center/Broadway/Times Square/Radio City part of the city* than I would have liked, since that was the part of town the conference was in.

Actually, the first two days I went to a conference at Hofstra University, on Long Island. I'd never been there, and was pleasantly surprised at the view from the train at least. That's my kind of suburbia. I knew there was a reason people lived in the suburbs, and it's because not all suburbs look like Cobb County, GA or Cary, NC. If I were going to live in that area, though, I'd want to live in Brooklyn* or Queens I think. Anyway...

The conference itself (not the one at Hofstra, but the one that followed) was quite dreary in fact. I am trying to get a job, and this trip made me think that despite my best efforts, I would not be getting a job this year. It's nice because I'll have more time to get myself looking and feeling competitive, but it's bad because I WANT TO GET OUT OF ATLANTA.*

Oh, and I met another really great guy, who told me 6 days after we met that "in the interest of full disclosure, Charity, I really feel I ought to tell you I have a partner." Lovely. Why do I bother, really?

On the good side, I met a lovely young lady from Vancouver, and now I have someone to go visit up there. :)

Anyway, about the duck (above): Michelle and Carrie and I were sitting in Central Park one afternoon, and this duck wouldn't leave us alone. I was making fun, telling Carrie she better get used to it, seeing as how she's getting married in a month (2 days after my 30th, but that's a mental breakdown of a different color) at the PEABODY and how was she going to avoid the ducks there? Then this crazy duck attacked. We are only lucky no one was hurt.

On the way out I took a picture of this lamp post, which I found quite charming:*



* I will be speaking more about things I wanted to do and finally did, Brooklyn, charming places and things, where I want to get out of Atlanta TO, and escapes from the Rockefeller Center/Broadway/Times Square/Radio City part of the city in my next entry. Can you hardly wait?!?!

Here's a hint:



PS-Although I hate the smell of poops (human, dog, horse) and urine and body odor and cigar and cigarette smoke and traffic exhaust that follows me around in NYC, it STILL smells like donuts every once in a while (and pizza, but mostly donuts). And despite the other rancidness, I still always want one. Yum.