I never did leave the conference today. I did not plan to stay all day, and I am not sure quite how it happened. Sunshine woke me up and got me moving early. I am doing my best to get as many hours as possible into my day so the I can accumulate as many CME hours as I can. I arrived at the convention center after a visit to Starbucks for a doppio espresso and a smoothie. I chose talks about ADD and bipolar disorder and addictions. I wondered if I was flitting about too much and ought to have stuck to one topic or one theme, but I always feel overwhelmed and confused when I come to this meeting. I am desperate to learn something I do not know, and get impatient when everything sounds familiar.
I decided to stay to listen to Archbishop Desmond Tutu after the regular program ended. He talked about the 'Truth and Reconciliation' process after the end of Apartheid. I found myself in tears and moved and impressed. He kept insisting that humans are essentially good and that forgiveness was the only choice there was. I found myself missing Eric and Maya and Tara and wondering what i was doing so far away from my family and those that I love.
I walked back along Kalakua to my pink hotel and took a detour to the Sheraton Waikiki for an 'Industry Supported Symposium'. In the past these meetings would have daily breakfast, lunch and dinner events sponsored by drug companies, so much so that I never had to buy a meal. New restrictions on what drug companies can and cannot do have limited these meals. I could not find any on the schedule this year except for this one, which was about Schizophrenia, which I do not treat anyway. I wanted to check it out, and was lured in by a yummy meal and an excellent initial lecture by Steve Stahl, who was a professor at San Diego when I attended for a fellowship in 1988. I found myself interested in the entire program and staying all night.
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