viva las vegas

this weekend i visited las vegas for a conference. it was especially great because there was a big bunch of us all attending. we stayed at circus circus, which has the benefit of being inexpensive, but the caveat of being very popular with families. there were a lot of kids!

the vegas portion of the weekend was a lot of fun. we walked around a lot, and did a pretty good job of keeping costs down. i still had a great time, though. we ate at some great places - a delicious little italian place in the venetian was probably my favorite. we even met miss california (who came in 2nd place at the next night's miss america pageant). she was pretty, but a little too orange. i gambled a little, didn't win any money, but did enjoy playing some blackjack. and taking a ride (and winning a cute stuffed bulldog) on the circus circus midway.

i also learned some interesting new things at the conference sessions i went to. for example, 18-month olds who saw pictures of dolls holding hands were more likely to help a woman who dropped a bag full of pencils than kids who saw pictures of blocks or pictures of dolls standing back to back. it was awesome! the worst part of the conference was when, during one of the coffee breaks, i walked into the mens room. yep, that's right. in my defense, as i was walking toward the door, i saw that the men's room sign was on the other side of the alcove, and assumed (wrongly) that this facing side was the women's. i thought it was weird that a male janitor was taking out the trash, but i shrugged it off. until i walked up to a guy who was trying to exit as i entered. "man, you must be embarrassed," i thought. then i realized that the bathroom was FULL of men. i cocked my head to the side, turned on my heels, and started to walk out. to add insult to injury, another guy was coming in the door as i was hurrying out, trying to hide my hotly glowing red cheeks.

anyways... unfortunately, i ended up missing a few of sessions because i was working on my talk for my interview. there were a couple of days there that i was absolutely petrified about the interviews and talk i had to give. not just that, but i had such a sense of dread that i could hardly make it through the day. it crossed my mind that i might have made the wrong decision, giving up a perfectly fine job offer to pursue a dream. but, i showed up tuesday anyways.

my interview and 90-minute talk went alright. i don't think i blew them away, but i wasn't terrible, either. most importantly, i survived, and didn't look like a complete idiot. there is a chance i looked slightly likely an idiot, but i'm trying not to obsess about the one comment i wish i could take back. at least it was only one! part of the reason that i'd like to work at this place is that they produce incredible research. the downside of that is that i feel like i am definitely below the level of average researcher there. i have to remember that all of them have been doing this for a long time, and i am still new and have a lot to learn. they have to hire younger people too, right? i'll keep you posted.

as a side note, the taxi driver who took me to the airport asked me if i had ever been to the san jose conspiracy convention. apparently, there is an annual meeting for conspiracy theorists in the bay area. he went on to show me his current issue of their monthly magazine (it was in the front seat with him). at least he didn't try to convince me of any theories in particular.