I spent last weekend in New York City with Nina. We were there to attend the Explorer's Club annual banquet. Nina gave a talk at the Explorer's Club frathouse about her Mars research that was very well received. I ate ostritch (good) and rattlesnake (yuck) but didn't go near the tarantulas, maggots, or crickets. Live animals present included an American Kestrel, penguins, a llama, a camel, some sort of puma, and a huge owl. Famous people I met include: Valentina Tereshkova, Dan Goldin, Luc Jacquet, and Ed Viesturs. Buzz Aldrin drew a doodle on a napkin which sold for over $6000 at the live auction. The banquet was a very surreal experience. It would have been a lot more fun if I hadn't lost a filling at dinner and then had balloons rain down around me at the end.

Nina had to spend a lot of time preparing for her talk, but we did manage to get out and visit some old friends of mine who now live in the city. The trip was too breif, but I had a good time.