San Diego

Hey all-

I'm having such a great time at this year's Society for Neuroscience Conference. At last year's conference I had a midterm exam as soon as I returned to the city so I wasn't able to explore the conference or Chicago so much because a great deal of my downtime was spent in my hotel room studying.

This year the conference is in San Diego and I have a couple of weeks before my next deadlines so I've been able to take advantage of the city and the amazing weather. It's hard to believe that it's mid-November when the temperatures outside range from 70-80 daily without a cloud in the sky! How do people get any work done when it's always so beautiful outside? I mean it's even hard to concentrate at the conference with such a beautiful convention center located right in the downtown area. The outdoor area of the conference center leads right to the harbor and provides the perfect escape route when there is a boring talk ;)

Saturday was day 1 of the conference and I was fortune to present Saturday afternoon so I've been able to take a laid back approach for the remainder of the conference. Before presenting my work, I attended a talk from Glenn Close who spoke on the topic of mental health. She is an advocate on the issue given that she has both a sister and nephew who manage mental health diseases.

Today after a breakfast of some of oatmeal, a scrambled egg, and coffee from a diner close to my hotel, we headed to the conference.

After the morning poster session we took the afternoon off in order to visit the San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park.

Botanical Garden

Ok time to write for a bit, still need to make some progress on a fellowship application before meeting my lab for dinner tonight.

Nicole