Canberra
All in all a reasonably productive trip to Canberra. Not really enough for 2 days, but enough that covering it in 1 day would have been exhausting. Topics ranged all over, so I was glad to have the varied experience that I do--I think my colleague was a bit lost when we veered into price deflators.
There was a switched-on younger guy doing research I found quite interesting, but he was tied up in getting a paper ready for the conference we're all attending, and didn't have much time to meet. One of the middle aged guys was knowledgeable but socially awkward, and could talk well past the point where interest was exhausted. We left with stronger relationships and more inside knowledge, but the same understanding of their position: they like what we did and want to do one of their own, but they've got no money for it and are unlikely to get any in the next couple years.
We finished off work by 4ish, but our flights to sydney don't leave til 630. Not really enough time to get out and see much, but there's no point in going to the airport ahead of time because there is *nothing* at the Canberra airport. So we chilled in the hotel lobby for 90 minutes with books/laptops. There was a whiff of wifi, but the speed is slow unbelievably slow that my mail wouldn't download, which made me sad :(
There was a switched-on younger guy doing research I found quite interesting, but he was tied up in getting a paper ready for the conference we're all attending, and didn't have much time to meet. One of the middle aged guys was knowledgeable but socially awkward, and could talk well past the point where interest was exhausted. We left with stronger relationships and more inside knowledge, but the same understanding of their position: they like what we did and want to do one of their own, but they've got no money for it and are unlikely to get any in the next couple years.
We finished off work by 4ish, but our flights to sydney don't leave til 630. Not really enough time to get out and see much, but there's no point in going to the airport ahead of time because there is *nothing* at the Canberra airport. So we chilled in the hotel lobby for 90 minutes with books/laptops. There was a whiff of wifi, but the speed is slow unbelievably slow that my mail wouldn't download, which made me sad :(