Thanksgiving with Friends and Family

This past Thanksgiving was fantastic. Sara and I finally met Anne's puppy Charlie Pepper (above), the regal King Charles Spaniel.

From Dagstuhl with Love

It's been a hectic couple of weeks. In the middle of it all, I was in Wadern Germany for a seminar at Dagstuhl Castle. The meetings finished on Friday morning, after which I toured several towns around the country. Pictures from Dagstuhl, as well as Heidelberg (left), Frankfurt, Neustadt, Trier, and Munich can be found in my Snapfish album.

frankfurt through philly

I'm en route to frankfurt, germany for a dagstuhl seminar on geographic priavy-aware data mining. But first, I'm taking advantage of a 6 hour (yes - 6) layover in philadelphia to have lunch with my dad!

Pittsburgh + Anniversary = Bliss

For our 6th wedding anniversary, Sara and I made a trip to Pittsburgh. On Friday, I was in DC for a research meeting and was planning to drive to the city. Around mid-day, I received a call from Sara who was flying up from Nashville. The conversation is best summarized as follows:

Sara: Hey, I'm changing planes in DC.
Brad: I hate you.
Sara: I love you.
Brad: Well, I could pick you up and we could drive up there together.
Sara: By the time you pick up the rental car and drive to the airport, I will be in Pittsurgh.
Brad: I hate you. No, I love you. Have a good flight.

(FYI - this is my skewed perspective and I know that Sara [as she's saying while sitting next to me at this moment] did not sound so callous)

So, eventually I made it to the 'burgh (by myself) after several delays on the PA turnpike and detours through the Laural Highlands, during which time I was accosted by a werewolf, a bear, and the people of Bedford (that's for you Joe). However, once arriving in Pittsburgh the weekend was glorious. We saw an unbelievable number of good friends, ate fantastic food (a.k.a. Tessaro's and an Italian Restaurant in Arnold), spent Saturday morning in the Strip District, and ... and .... and went to our first Steeler's game. Unfortunately, we have been since been banned from the stadium due to the negative outcome of the game.

Sara put up some pictures on Snapfish for inquiring minds (like the one of her, Krista, and Anthony to the left).

off to ottawa

I'm on my way to the airport to catch a flight to Ottawa, Canada for the Electronic Health Information and Privacy Conference. Looks to be a fantastic set of panels and speakers! I'm looking forward to catch up with old and new friends in the community. So, if you'll be in the area - let's catch up!

On a side note, I'll be flying back to Nashville on Nov. 4 - election day. This should make the return leg of my flight (which will be passing through O'hare) quite interesting and exciting. Lucky for me, I voted early!