the island experience, part I.

So, I went to a conference in Hawaii for a few days. Since Matt also had a conference there in his field, we made an extended trip of it. I meant to post pictures as soon as we returned but am having difficulties doing that for a variety of reasons, so I want to start telling you about it even without the illustrations. I promise exciting beach and luau footage will be forthcoming shortly.

My conference was with the Oceanic Popular Culture Association. This was my first Pop Culture conference and I gave a paper on World of Warcraft and simiilarities between gaming and performance studies. Actually, it wasn't a paper; it was a powerpoint presentation, and included a Youtube video which I was petrified wouldn't work on the day of the presentation. In the end, all went well. It was a very small conference, about 35 people in attendance total. This turned out to be really cool, as the usual "three-papers-and-a-few-questions" format turned into really engaging discussions that continued into other sessions.

I met neat people from the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point and from Michigan State University, as well as scholars from local Hawaii schools who gave presentations on topics like "The Politics of Local Food" and "Surf Culture." It was really fun, the presentations weren't all jargony, and members of the public actually attended some sessions. The topics were so wide-ranging that it was impossible to get bored. I went to panels on the Sabbath and why we need time for play/rest/worship from three different religious perspectives; on academic computing and its impacts on classrooms and administration; on Lara Croft and the cubicle cowboy; and a variety of other topics. Not all the presentations exactly met my standards of scholarship to be honest but it was really interesting to see how people from other academic fields do presentations and papers. I learned a lot and had a good time.

Meanwhile, Matt and the bug frolicked on the beach and she built her first sand castles. Matt's extended family lives in Hawaii, and I'll write more about meeting all of them when I get a chance to post pictures. They welcomed us with open arms and were so friendly and fabulous to hang out with--it's hard to explain how cool it was to meet the brothers and sisters that Matt grew up with, and their spouses and kids. They even took us to a luau with dance performances and a fire juggler, which completely absorbed the bug's attention for the better part of two hours. It was really cool to spend time with them and I'm grateful we had the chance.

Matt's AAS conference was also presumably enjoyable for him. I was glad to have the time to explore some touristy attractions with the bug, such as shopping in Waikiki, the Honolulu Zoo, and the beach. Our hotel was actually attached to a huge mall, so it was rather surreal to have to walk through Macy's and the food court to get to and from the beach. We also got to spend some family time and the three of us took a day to explore the island, especially the North Shore of Oahu, which I would love to return to someday. Honolulu was a little urban/touristy for me so perhaps next time we'll be able to go somewhere a bit quieter and closer to nature. Still, it was neat to learn a bit about Hawaii's history and see some of the attractions in the area. And go to the beach.

more soon; i've missed you all. :)