The informal version
I am blogging the DAC conference on the official site, so what I think about the presentations is quite available there. BUT there are other things going on, and for those who wonder what I am REALLY up to, I'll tuck some of that in here.

Melbourne is a very nice city - I haven't seen much yet, and of the parts I have seen the most distinct features are the futuristic buildings which Federation Square is the most recent and also most striking example. But it's relaxed and friendly, with nice shops, acceptable food and short distances - even when walking in heels. The really great part of it is meetign people though. Living with Jill for a week is very nice, definitely a favourite person to share a hotel apartment with. Yes, we have an apartment, bedroom and livingroom, a little fridge and a microwave, Jill's bed folding into a couch which means it's possible to sit comfortably, feet up and relax while talking to guests - without having anybody sitting on the bed. And yes, a little table and a couple of chairs, space for social company, not just intimate.

Lisbeth and Susana are at the same hotel, and with Hanne Lovise, a nice PhD student (her supervisor is this old friend who I haven't seen for years and who I have missed for years) there as well, we get to use the space for visitors of the nice, relaxing, non-intrusive kind. Once I have the pictures Susana took of me and Jill in our new outfits Sunday, I'll blog them to let the world revel in our splendour.

Monday was exhausting, but we stayed on our feet through the reception, We did arrive a little late though, so we went for a grand entrance: Deena Larsen, Nick, Noah and me floating in Jill's wake as we had to walk almost all the way to the front of the theatre in order to find seats where we wouldn't have to make people stand up to let us through. The reception after the speeches was rather loud, as Deena mentioned in the DAC blog, but the wine was plentiful and the coctail snacks kept coming.

Today I have a return to the cold that bothered me when I arrived here, and the morning was spent fighting bouts of shivering. Luckily lap-tops are warm little things to keep on your lap. That made me yearn for a warm meal, so with Susana and Hanne Lovise I went to find just that during lunch - asocial, perhaps, but hey, you don't get much sense out of me while I am freezing.