The 2002 PCLM retreat took place at the beautiful Colony Hotel in Kennebunkport, Maine. The stated purpose of this retreat was for members of the Picower Center for Learning and Memory to become familiar with one another's research and the work going on in PCLM labs in general. This theme should fail to be apparent throughout the album.
 |
The LCD projector for presentations was missing, or broken, or something, so someone went back to Cambridge to get a replacement and we had the second day's break period on the first day. That turned out to be a good thing, as it proved to be the only time during the retreat when it didn't rain. I'd brought some equipment with me against the possibility of just such an opportunity. |
 |
At dinner the first night, the wait staff carried in hundreds and hundreds of lobsters. It was an impressive sight. As Ben said, it's the cheapest meat around there. To my right, Mriganka Sur, BCS department head, who squirted me with lobster juice. |
 |
I'm really not clear on why people are so enthusiastic about lobsters. For starters, they're clearly giant bugs. And the meat tastes all right, but not so great that it's worth the enormous effort and mess to get to it. And for the privilege of having a huge bug brought to you for you to tear apart with wrenches and pliers to separate the edible part from the shell and the weird nasty intestinal stuff, you pay a vast sum of money. Of course, in this case it was all free. |
 |
The highlight of the first night was the karaoke. My advisor is quite a funky man. Listen to him rock the house. |
 |
The highlight of the second night was, of all things, bingo. Players competed for HUGE HUGE PRIZES! |
 |
Anthony Wagner was the instigator and caller. |
 |
Somehow, my entire table went the whole evening without winning a single round. No HUGE HUGE PRIZES! for us. |
