On Neuroscience Pt 2

Sorry this is so late team, the rest of neuroscience was cool, saw some cool posters and head a talk from both Eric Kandel, and Richard Morris (inventer of the Morris Water Maze) both of whom are really huge names in neuroscience and biopsych.

Went to H&M couldn't find any long pants and then had a girl moment and flipped out when I couldn't fit into a 32. Ended up getting a shirt, hat, and underoos. Ended up going to UO and getting a pair of pants, almost made the move back up to skinny but decided to stay with the super skinnies for now. Also got a shirt.

Later that night went out with Jason and some of his old undergrad buddies, but before we meet up with them we went to a bar and had a drink with Rob and Laura. Rob talked to me about my work and that got me really pumped, and I had a really good feeling about everything. Had 2 pints there then went to dinner at the Webber Grill. The food was amazing, nice rare 16oz prime rib with a huge slab of mashed potatoes. By the time we were done none of us could move, walked around looking for another place to grab a drink at but ended up going back to the bar Jason and I had started at. Now, one thing I haven't mentioned is that apparently at Eau Clair, they make 'em big. Jason's old advisor and the two of his old undergrad guys were huge. For once I felt like the smallest guy in the group, usually I can count on my height taking care of that but there guys were tall and thick. Still though none of us could manage to choke down more than one beer, by the time we left the bar a second time I was drunk off the food, not the booze.

On Sunday I went to the poster session early and there wasn't too many posters I wanted to check out so I ended up leaving the confrence early to go explore downtown Chicago, went to Millenium Park and saw the usual tourist attractions like the bean. It was fun but I wish I had a camera/other people there with me.

So Jason and I roomed together, we also presented on the last half of the second day. We also thought it would be a great idea to get wasted the night before we had to present. So while walking around the conference on Tuesday Sarah and I walk by a booth and one of the cronies invites us to a presentation they're giving on the first knockout rats which is pretty cool in itself, but as an added bonus, they decided to throw in open bar and food. So Sarah, Jason, a girl Jason knows (claire), and a guy that's the girls friend (gilbert) go and we listen to the talk eat free food have a few drinks. Good times had by all but they begin to shoo people out. Sarah presents to the group a Grad Student social which also has a free bar and so we formulate the plan of going to Sarah's Hotel to drop stuff off then going to this grad student social. On our way to the hotel we get a call from Joe who'se at the invite only presidential reception at the Chicago Field Meuseum. So we hike across soldier's field to the meuseum. Here's where "gilbert" makes his first mistake, we get to the meuseum and start to walk up the steps, and out of no where in a really serious tone he goes "don't embarass your advisors here!". No shit, what do I look like to you a high schooler? Anyway, swanky food, a bar where they know how to make drinks, live Jazz band, and open exibits. What more could you ask for! We wander, had some drinks, etc. Then around 10:30 they began to shoo people out too.

We all leave the Museum but it's raining lightly, there's murmers but the group decides to walk it the 2-3ish blocks back to the hotel, so I light a cig and begin to walk. I then hear Sarah calling out to me, they're all getting on a bus that's going to the hotel. A few drinks into me I tell them to go on and that I'll meet them there, it's not raining that badly anyway. On my walk back I meet up with a few guys who had just gotten jobs at the museum and I talked to them about the area, then after they left I caught up to a group of (I assume) students from the University of Mexico (?) who were a little drunk to say the least. They were a fun group to walk with.

Get back to the hotel, say goodnight to Sarah and the four of us decide to go out. They insist on getting a cab and so we're in the cab and claire is checking her voice mail and I'm giving her shit (playfully) and etc and this is where Gilbert makes his second mistake. Again in a really serious voice he says "she's on the phone with her advisor chill". A) shes not B) if she was don't you think I'd know that? We get to the bar and meet up with calire's advisor who is also a former student of Joes. Long story short gilbert and the advisor talk bussiness the entire night, Jason was able to chime in a few times and so was claire but after 30 min I stopped even listening and just stared at the TV and drinking. So since I couldn't talk I was throwing back rum and coke's fairly quickly, and compound with the two incidents from earlier in the night with shutting me out of the convo plus his horrible face and purple shirt I began sending texts along the lines of "fucking grimace is giving me an ulcer" you get the drift.

Finally we leave the bar around 2 well drunk and minus grimace, we decide to go get more beer and drink in Millenium Park. We....get to a 7-11 some how try to buy beer and after I've brough up my selection the guy says "oh sorry I forgot to lock it", apparently there's no beer-o'clock in Chicago, which more than likley means that I looked/smelled too drunk for the guy to sell me booze. We try to go to Millenium park but as we're walking up the steps a disembodied voice tells us the park's closed. Seeing as how it's 3am we decide to just go back to the hotel (claire in tow) and drink the rest of the beer we have there.

We get back and I get on FB, TV gets turned on etc. I get up and go to the bathroom and as I come back out claire and Jason are on his bed giggleing and etc. I decide this is really awkward so I change my shirt throw on a hoodie and hat and when they ask where I'm going I say "going to see a man about a dog" and walk out. Long story short I wonder around the streets of Chicago drunk and alone at 4 in the morning. Go to a 7-11 get some grubb, go back and sit in the lobby and txt Jason giving him a 10 min warning. Come back up go to bed around 5. Wake up at 10, pack and check out at 11, put posters up at 12:30 and stand for the next 4 hours. Almost missed the flight on the way back because they decided to board early, got back into Richmond around midnight Wednesday (or Thursday if you want to be technical).

Overall, fun trip.