Monday, June 11, 2007

I Wish That I Could Live-Blog This

No pictures...yet.

I will say this:

1. Visiting The Best Friend is very nice. As I predicted, visiting Mrs. Dude is no different than when she was Ms. Dudette. Also, this is one of my favorite cities in America. Best combination of liveability and metropolitanness.

2. Constitutional law conferences are FUN. Almost as fun as employment law conferences. Mabye a little more because there is a larger community of scholars than I thought--and a few of them international. What I like at this conference is the mix of disclipinary backgrounds and perspectives. We have a few comparativists, a couple of international scholars, and a few graduate students in political science and law. Everyone here is enthusiastic, engaged, and very interesting.

3. Larry Solum's Blog is how most people here found out about the conference. One did find out by way of Ann Bartow's blog. Larry and Ann: keep on blogging!

4. When they offer "free housing" almost everyone takes it, even though I imagine it's depressing, if you have a "real job" and a "real house" to stay in an undergrad dorm in an old (but externally, nice) building in which each tiny unit resembles a hospital ward. Even I, the graduate student who not too long ago lived in The Shoebox, find it depressing and weird.

5. So far, that maxim "Every Conference Has a Weirdo" hasn't held true in my experiences. Then again, the conferences/workshops I've participated in have been small affairs organized by and for junior scholars. It's best when there's a mix of junior scholars and a smattering of senior scholars--this is great for effective feedback and for idea sharing. So the spirit of collegiality and helpfulness suffuses each interaction. Everyone is very mentoring, sharing and sympathetic. These are great experiences, and I highly encourage aspiring or junior academics to participate in these workshops.