I'm at the American Political Science Association meeting in Washington, DC today. I never submitted a proposal for a paper. I suddenly realized that working for free is for suckers. (No, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer.) Without the horror of a paper hanging over my head, I have had the best summer ever. No stress. I'm going to the conference just for the fun of it. Steve and the boys are going, too, and I will probably spend more time at bars with friends and with the kids at museums than I'll spend listening to papers.

Conference shoes are super important. I just bought a pair of Naturalizer Becca Pumps in a tailored two-toned color. I usually hate breaking in new shoes at this conference, because it means a box of bandaids. But these shoes look super comfortable, and I don't plan on being that ambitious about catching every panel.