Sunday, Sunday

Today is gorgeous.  Looking out of our window we can see planes leaving and taking off from the Metropolitan Airport - one landing strip as far as I can tell.  My flight from Montreal was supposed to have come in there but obviously, my direct flight had to go to the main airport where I could be cleared into Canada.  Apparently there's a ferry to get passengers into Toronto.  Looks like an adventure.  Not one I'd like to do in a storm though...

One guy has been practicing take-offs and landings all day.

The day is going to be a lovely one with David.  I'm feeling much better (though not 100%) and I know we'll have fun whatever we do.  Given how long I've been away, I just want to hang out with him, and we might well do just that all day.  It'd be fine by me.  Already we've discussed real estate in Panama (maybe?), Sante Fe, Portland, and a couple of other places as we talked about ultimately retiring to... but I can't quite get my head around not being at CHI, not seeing my friends from around the world, or being involved in the profession.  I may need a support group to make the transition.  ;-)

And tonight?  Tonight is the Awards Dinner.

I'm excited.

Very excited.

Because I'm being inducted into the CHI Academy!  [For those of you who are not in this area, here's the link to information about what the heck these things means: About SIGCHI Awards   And the list of people getting awards this year at:  SIGCHI 2014 Awards.  All of the awardees to date are here:  SIGCHI Awardees 1998 - 2014  (I got the Lifetime Service Award in 2006)]

Susan and Jeff Johnson the 2 practitioners elected to the CHI Academy  this year.

Best of all, a kiss from David!

For many years, the only people in the CHI Academy were academics.  Which really burned those of us who are practitioners.  So we started to lobby for practitioners either to be admitted to the CHI Academy or to have their own honorary CHI "Thing" (to be named)  For years, we were told that no, only academics could be in the Academy since, after all, it is an "Academy" which means only academics, right?  Wrong, we continued to assert, and so the back-and-forthing went on for a number of years.  Finally, about 5 years ago, SIGCHI finally changed their minds and agreed.

What's the reason for this history?

Well, I actually love the irony.  For many years, I, a practitioner, was the one of ones advocating for this change.  And now, I am being inducted.  But now, I'm an academic (at least for 4 months)!  Ah, what a delicious irony!  And a complete hoot!