We were in Miami for a few days. It was warmer than the last time I was there and more humid too, but it wasn’t unbearable just yet. That said, I would rather not return again until at least what is the late fall here in North Carolina. It was Bill’s first visit to Florida, and I’ll just say that I’m glad Miami was not my first experience in the state. He only saw some of the showier parts of the city (though I made it clear I had no interest in going over to Miami Beach on this trip so he didn’t get to experience the chaos of South Beach). The choice of hotel and location of the conferences we attended dictated this, but I was okay with him not developing a strong desire to return soon given my attitude toward the summer in South Florida. Then I spent a contrasting, pleasant Sunday with my brother and sister-in-law in quieter sections of the city and ended my time in Miami with an arepa at a restaurant where the staff didn’t even pretend to speak English and a brisk walk through the airport terminal to get straight onto my return flight.

As our visit centered around attending conferences (this was ostensibly a business trip after all), there was a lot taking place. That commotion was why we were there, to expose ourselves to as many new ideas, developments, and projects as possible in a short period of time. There was a lot of silliness too, but those things weren’t overbearing and we were able to filter them out of our sensory intake.

Some of what we encountered validated a thesis that has been developing in my mind for several months. The particular strategies I will deploy to implement it are still to be determined, but at least now I have a destination and can chart a course to arrive there. What was even more exciting, though, was what we found missing. Sure, these were not the largest conferences dedicated to this growing field, but much of what we saw represented cutting-edge developments. We have been hearing about one of the next big things deploying these technologies for some time now but the current iterations are wanting, and this got our mental gears turning. Perhaps nothing will come from these ruminations, but we have decided to further explore some possibilities.

To sum up the experience, it was a testament to the value of exposing myself to new ideas and the latest developments in a growing field and to the value of resting and grounding myself with family. It was a nice change from the heads-down, build-the-business ethos that has been (and will remain) mine at least until we have a stable foundation under our feet through our legal practice.