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Sacramento

I arrived in Sacramento today for MathFest.  The name MathFest always feels a bit inward-facing to me---only my tribe seems to find math festive.

The conference hasn't started yet; traveling three time zones I wanted to arrive before things started to allow for travel mishaps; sure enough my first of two flights today was delayed enough to make connecting to the second flight impossible. Big up's to the Delta phone app; it offered me alternatives and I found one with a different connecting city that had more of a layover (I had been nervous for the original layover being too short, which it turned out to be). I did arrive quite early though.

Second, big up's to Hyatt for letting me have a room at noon when check-in time is 4 PM. In times past when this has occurred I have checked luggage and wandered a bit until my room was ready but this is much nicer.

I am a bit wearied, having started my day at 3:00 AM EDT (early and paranoid about there being flight problems, said paranoia being a product of decades of experience) which was midnight Pacific time. When I crash tonight I will crash.

I do wish to visit a specific art gallery (I try to take half a day at these meetings to see the city) but it is closed on Tuesday's so I couldn't use my early arrival to profitable advantage. I unpacked thoroughly before lunch and now I will have to see if I will be awake enough for dinner.

Seeing Sacramento on the way in from the airport reminded me of Raleigh and many other state capitols that I have visited. There tends to be a grid with statuary, convention centers named after rich companies, etc. But each state capitol has its own flavor and I could see a little of that on the ride in (and hope to see more in the coming days).

These conferences are separated enough also to be milestones of my mortality. My right knee was replaced two and a half months ago and I have not yet fully regained the flexibility I once had. I did not feel impaired in the three airports I walked (quite a ways) in today but walking to lunch here I did feel it. Cumulative weariness did not used to get to me but I feel it now and will work from and rest a bit in my hotel room before dinner instead of exploring as I feel that I should. I am either getting old or am old; which one I believe in varies hourly.

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