me: 2, hotel: 1.

i never caught the exact number, but supposedly there were around 2000+ mathematicians at this year's joint meetings.

imagine: that many mathematicians concentrated over 1-2 city blocks. think of all the coffee consumed!

on a related note, i did the paranoid thing and packed 3 days' worth of good coffee grounds in my carry-on luggage (along with standard-sized filters).

janus:1, hotel:0 .. (-;

as it happens, my planning was pointless: the in-room coffeemaker brewed one cup at a time and the filters didn't fit. in fact, the coffeemaker brews only those sealed paper filters ..

janus:1, hotel:1 .. ):

but the hotel room provided two such filters, and if you cram them enough, both of them will fit.

the result: 1 good, strong cup of coffee.

janus:2, hotel:1 .. q-:

the trip was productive:

• the interviews weren't complete disasters (more on them, later),
• i saw many, many friends from graduate school and various past conferences,
• i met an old friend, waxed mathematical,
• lastly, i started refereeing a paper.

as for new orleans, it was a fine thing to have a conference in the downtown area (vs. another university campus). the french quarter is certainly something to see, a pleasant place to walk and watch people.

reciprically, some stores seemed receptive to mathematicians!

the kitchen witch cookbook store.