I love professional conferences. They are a great chance to learn what's happening in my overall industry plus I get to make some connections with people. As  long as there is funding available (either mine or from my institution), I will try to make it to as many conferences as I can. It's one reason I'm always putting in speaking proposals.

As much as I love conferences, I have one major gripe. Now, I want to be clear that I understand that organizers have a tough job. They need to select material and fill a day in a way that satisfies their professional development goals and makes the conference seem like a good deal. But, that usually ends up with a conference day that starts before 9AM.

Can we please stop starting conferences before 9AM? The conference I attended this week, technically, started the day at 7:45AM. Yikes! Most conferences start at 8AM or 8:30AM.

These early start times are problematic on so many levels. First, it excludes locals who likely still need to do daycare/school drop-offs, commute, or take care of work responsibilities. Plus, not everyone can stay at the conference hotel. Some out-of-towners may need to find transportation to the conference location. Next, the time zone change is rough for people travelling between coasts. Sure, an east coaster going west will gain some sleep, but west coasters coming east are going to be running on fumes (if they slept at all). Also, it makes it nearly impossible to fly in the day of the conference. Most folks are going to be forced to come in the day before and pay for a hotel. This is not always easy for those from organizations with limited means.

Finally, if there easiest an opening keynote, those early sessions tend to be sparsely attended. I always make an effort to engage and pay attention to the presenter because they worked just as hard on their material as everyone else. Plus, as someone who has presented in an early morning session, it's hard to talk to a room of people who are still yawning or trying to sneak in breakfast. Plus, the doors make a lot of noise when latecomers open them to sneak in.

So, let's all make a pact to  start our conferences no earlier than 9AM.

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On Thursday, I started book five in the Dark Olympus series. I’m only a few chapters into Cruel Seduction because long conference days left me too tired to stay awake each night. It’s following the exact formula of the other books in the series. I am, however, enjoying how the overarching plot is really starting to take shape in these later books.

*Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org

• I feel like a lot of academic research could come out of the list of aesthetics. [Fandom]

• *raging* [The Audacity]

• When we collectively have false memories. [CNN]

• Where we still use cash and checks. [WaPo - gift link]

• These bursting bonsai are lovely. [Colossal]

• Turning books into geodes. [Colossal]

• Indigenous typography. [The Tyee]

• Why is there a pedestrian bridge here? [Tyler Vigen]

• When art is nothing more than a wealth asset. [The Daily]

• I needed this parenting advice. [Life Kit]

• Ozempic is a lot more than a weight loss pill. [The Daily]

• Orienteering sounds like fun. [Atlas Obscura]

• The little trademark that could. [The Indicator]

• The quest to make baseball less boring. [Radio Atlantic]

• How we can improve our mission for sustainable seafood. [Short Wave]

• We don't love college like we used to - and for good reason. [The Daily]

• What it takes to bring "Based on a true story" to the screen. [Planet Money]

• I might need to try this garlic life hack. [@bobbian_]

• Black Bear is an art house style movie. The small cast is headlined by Aubrey Plaza who gives an exceptional performance. This film is very dialogue forward; the first half could be a stage play. The film is tense but in that awkward way where you are constantly emphasizing with the characters. Plus, this film has an interesting plot structure to tell the narrative. It leaves you guessing about what informs what. [Amazon Prime]

• I love the trend of updating older material with modern sensibilities. Persuasion excels in this method of storytelling. It's based on a Jane Austin book but follows the Bridgerton model of filmmaking. Plus, it's just really pretty to look at. The lead actress, Dakota Johnson, has to carry the bulk of the narrative storytelling by breaking the fourth wall. It works rather well. [Netflix]

• We received a small eggplant in our farm share last week. For my lunch meal prep, I decided to turn it into a sheet pan eggplant parmesan. I found a recipe online that added a slice of tomato to each piece and that looked good to me. Plus, we had an extra from our farm share. I subbed shredded mozzarella for fresh since that's what we had on hand. This reheated well in the microwave at work but it lost the original crispiness from the breading. [Mediterranean Living]

• My parents came into town earlier this week to take care of the kiddo while the Husband and I were on overlapping business trips. The night they arrived, I opted to make dinner at home instead of ordering out. We had a bunch of veggies from the farm share so I made a quick pasta. I sautéed zucchini, corn cut from the cob, and grape tomatoes in a little olive oil and butter. I then mixed the veggies with a pasta, some lemon juice, and parmesan. The end result was really tasty. [Sporkful]

Sunrises in DC are too pretty sometimes. [@dcstormchaser]

Do you have a family to feed? You might want to peruse The Family Dinner Project. This website not only provides recipes, but also techniques to keep the whole family engaged at the table. There is advice by age group, cultural context, and family need. You can create a free account to help personalize the support provided.

Our D&D group is getting together on Saturday. I have no idea what our DM is going to throw at us this time.