AAA Day 1
I spent almost all day at the convention center where the AAA conference is being held today, but only attended one session. I spent the rest of the day talking with a few people and wondering around aimlessly. I'm still really trying to get my head around this particular conference as well as this particular association.
I've only attended the SFAA conferences in the past (and another anthro conference in Tampa a few years ago- but I only stayed for 5 or so hours), so I guess I wasn't sure what to expect today. The vibe of this conference is very different from the SFAA- and honestly, I really was very put off by it. I'm not sure what exactly it is, but the people don't seem to be as friendly, people really don't like you in the eyes but at your name badge and there is a slight air of overall stuffiness. I've never felt like that at the SFAA. I'm hoping that this was just an "off day" and the rest of the week is different, because I usually thoroughly enjoy conferences.
On a very different note... I went to a workshop today called "Design Anthropology: What we do and how we do it". I really, really enjoyed it. And, oddly enough, I didn't get an uncomfortable, unwelcome vibe in the room either :)
I'll write some more thoughts on the workshop later on. But, for now, I'm going to gear up for another long day of conference tommorow.