Last week I was away at my Foundations of Digital Games (FDG) conference. It was lots of fun, although there wasn’t NEARLY enough talk about quilts. I did make sure to bring it up from time to time, though, so probably for everyone else there was a surprising amount of it. Of course my BFF Gillian was there, so I did get to talk quilts with someone who understood.
The conference was held on the Liberty of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) which was sailing to Cozumel. Most of my days I spent in the conference center which was on a lower deck that was underwater, so no windows.
I made sure to take a picture to prove that there really was a conference going on.
On the shore day at Cozumel, there were no talks, so a bunch of us piled into taxis and headed to Chankanaab, a National Park.
It turns out that Mexico’s national parks are not exactly like American national parks, in that this was a very touristy place. On the other hand, the snorkeling was amazing! I was lucky enough to see a whole group of Caribbean Reef Squid (squad/shoal/school of squid depending on where you look) which were both beautiful and creepy!
When we started snorkeling, I noticed one of my advisors from my thesis committee pausing at the water’s edge.
Me: “You okay?”
Him: “Yes..I just don’t know why I’m doing this. I don’t like fish.”
Me: “You…don’t like fish.”
Him: “Yah, they swim at your face and stuff, I don’t like it.”
Me: “Snorkeling is awesome! What are the fish going to do with you anyway?”
Him: “I know you’re right. Okay I can do this.”
*He swims around a bit*
Him: “Okay you’re right. I’m calming down. This is amazing.”
*Gillian and I swim off*
When we get back…
Him: “Look at this!” *shows off red mark on his arm*
Him: “I got bit by a fish! You can see the teeth marks and everything!”
Seriously guys, who gets bit by a fish?! The person afraid of them, I guess!
After that, no one wanted to go back in the water, so we wandered around the park and saw the crocodiles and “Authentic” Mayan Ruins. Which were really replicas made in the 80s.
Then it was back on the ship for more talks.
The day we got back to Florida, Gillian and I were chosen for special screening by customs. “Oh you want to go through my suitcase full of a week’s dirty clothes? Um. Have fun.”
Customs guy: “What do you do for work?”
Me: “I’m a programmer.”
Customs guy: *makes notes on customs form, studies it a bit more.*
Customs guy: “What’s the primary language you use?”
Me: “Uh..English?”
Customs guy: “….”
Customs guy: “What’s the primary PROGRAMMING language you use?”
Me: *feels dumb*
In my defense, who expects a customs guy to ask about programming languages? Not me, apparently.
After our 30 minute detour inside the creepily designed customs building, we were set free. (Seriously, I was going to take a picture despite the “NO PICTURES” signs, but figured I couldn’t exactly post it to my blog without them knowing I took it. You’ll just have to believe me that someone was paid a lot of money to make that place feel REALLY uncomfortable.)
Our flights didn’t leave until later that evening, so Gillian and I rented a car and went on an airboat ride in the Everglades, which was AWESOME! I can’t help but smile when I’m on an airboat, they are just so cool.
Then we did the touristy thing and held the baby alligators, because DUDE. Baby Alligator!
After some cuban food for lunch, the long day of flights commenced, with Gillian heading back to Boston and me back to Santa Cruz. Our day had started at 6am Eastern, and we both got home at 3am Eastern/midnight Pacific. It was a VERY long day, but such an amazing trip!
I’m already saving for next year’s FDG, where we’re going to try to hold a workshop on computational crafting. Next FDG: More quilts!
24 thoughts on “Trip Report: Cozumel and Florida”
I love the picture with the baby alligator. It’s a long story but I have been into alligators lately, I even have a new stuffed one on my desk. Your conference sounds wonderful, what a fun job to have.
Alligators are amazing! We watched a little show with them where the people at the park we were at explained more about them and how they really aren’t man-eaters. Of course, they can still do damage which is why their mouths are duct taped closed when you hold them. >_> The conference was pretty inspiring, for sure!
It looks like an amazing trip! I’m also curious what programming language you use 🙂 (But only because my husband programs as well lol)
Hahaha Lately I’ve been mostly using javascript and php because I’m doing web programming. Before that was actionscript/flash (see aforementioned web programming.) Before that was some Java, but mostly I come from a C/C++ background. At this point picking up a new language is like trying a new app, you figure out how to use it and then figure out some of the nuances of its strengths and weaknesses, but I generally don’t become too loyal since I’ll likely have to move to something new in a couple years. 🙂
computational crafting sounds like a fancy way to say Quilt Math. Fun recap of your trip – good thing he only hated fish and not sharks
Hahahah it’s a pretty broad term, so it can imply quilt math. But we more mean it as creating programs that generate designs for different crafts. For instance, a program that takes a photo and turns it into a pixel quilt. Or a program that generates different HST quilt designs with random (or not-so random) colorations. Or a program that generates models for 3D printers, etc. etc.
GOOD point about him not hating sharks. I’ll bring that up next time I talk to him. 😉
Sounds like you had a great trip! Glad you managed to make it through without the ship sinking or one of those awful norovirus things hitting everyone. I’m curious, too. What programming language DO you use?
I’m also happy I didn’t get norovirus, although I did get sick on my trip home. Finally got through the last of it at the end of last week. 🙂 Good to feel human again, although I’m leaving again in a couple weeks. Ungh!
As for programming languages, I mostly use javascript/php these days because I’m mostly creating web programs. I’ve used a bunch of other stuff in the past, though. I’m not really a programming language zealot, I’ll use whatever I need to. I think of programming more as a tool to create stuff. So like I wouldn’t use the same paintbrush to create all my paintings, I try to choose the language that best suits what I want to create, if that makes sense. 🙂
Well, somebody had to rough it. So glad it was you.
I’m sitting here giggling–what was the “baby” gator thinking? “Just let me get my teeth in you.” The two men in the background of the gator pix, and your cat. Oh, I know what your cat was thinking because I’ve had one greet me after a trip with the same look.
HAhahaha yes, I’m happy to have taken one for the team and roughed it out. 😉 I thought the same thing, those baby gators didn’t seem terribly happy about the whole thing. Although mostly they’re afraid of humans, so he probably was just wishing we’d all go away. I feel a little badly about that.
Kita was stuck to my shoulder for DAYS. She really doesn’t like it when I leave. 🙂
Oh, yes. Forgot. Love the potential color palettes in the pix.
Thanks! I did a few QDADs based on random photos I took on the trip since I didn’t have internet access to get to design-seeds. 🙂 They’ll be up on the website eventually!
you’re so bloody cute!
Hahaha, thanks darling!! <3 <3
I want to see squid schools. 🙁
Cozumel. Go! Seriously amazing. I actually thought they were cuttlefish (they didn’t look like what I typically think of as squid) but when I came home and researched I found out they were Caribbean Reef Squid. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribbean_reef_squid
The picture of you and the baby alligator is so cute! Can’t decide which of you is having more fun. Love the besties bracelet. So glad for you to have had this experience – snorkeling. I’ve never tried it, though I’ve had several opportunities. Looks like a good get-away. Ah, work. Somebody’s gotta do it.
Aww, thank you! 😀 I’m /definitely/ having more fun than the gator. He really didn’t want to be there. (I feel a little guilty about that.)
I love snorkeling, SO MUCH, I hope you get a chance to try it! It took me a long time to get the courage to try, but once I did I was hooked. Now I’m working up the courage to try scuba, but that’s a much more expensive hobby. 🙂
It’s just so cool to be able to breathe and see underwater and hang out with beautiful fish. Snorkeling is like swimming but with less work and more sight-seeing. lol
“don’t ever let anyone tell you you’re too young to accomplish anything…a baby alligator is still a baby alligator”
Hahaha although this one had its mouth duct taped shut. Well, electrical taped shut, I suppose.
This post was so laugh out loud funny. I love the part about there being a surprising amount of talk about quilting for everyone else.
hahaha so glad I could amuse! 😀 Gillian and I were in a planning session about what to do at next year’s conference, and Gillian brought up the idea of allowing papers that were about computational crafting. When asked for examples, Gillian gave an example of a program that generates quilt designs. Some guy said “Why would someone who quilts be at this conference?!?”
You’ll be happy to know I didn’t kill him. But only because one of the professors who knows what I do said “There’s an entire company here that deals with quilting!” (implying Play Crafts) LOL
Awesome post! “Customs guy: “What’s the primary PROGRAMMING language you use?”
Me: *feels dumb* – this made me laugh the most 🙂
-Soma
My friend who was with me started laughing at me right then, too. But seriously, who expects the customs guy to ask about programming languages?! lol