Back from SBL

I arrived back in rainy North Carolina an hour or so ago after a good SBL, beginning last Friday and ending this morning. I drove up to Washington, DC with a friend last Friday and returned, leaving at lunchtime today. It turned out that it was much cheaper (and more enjoyable) to drive, hiring a car on Friday and dropping it off at Union Station, and doing the same in reverse today.

I hope to have some reports soon. For the first time ever (or since beginning blogging), I didn't manage to blog at all during the conference, in spite of having the blogging machine with me. Just didn't seem to find a spare minute. No doubt other bloggers have already begun their reports, though each time I met a fellow blogger they would say the same, that they had not yet had time.

My main highlights were -- I have to admit -- non-academic, going to see the new Bond film, Casino Royale, last night after a trip to the Brewery House, particularly enjoyable because it came just after having the session in which I was giving a paper this year. And Friday evening at the Chop House, where they brewed their own beer and served very expensive food, with one of my favourite people, was another real highlight.

As usual I tried to do too much, went to too many meetings, got up too early, stayed up too late, got too tired, but in the end found it all worthwhile and lots of it very stimulating academically. I will comment on those things later on.