I will be headed to Boston on Friday for SBL but this week I am in Louisville KY for the National 4-H Poultry & Egg Conference. Yup, chickens! I am going to be the speaker for the Poultry Career Opportunities Workshop. Why me? Well certainly not because of my work in the field, but because I was, back in the day, MD state champion poultry judge (or “chicken feeler” as I used to say, great pick up line…it worked on my wife!) and went to this same national conference in 1983. (I am actually staying in the same hotel and I am not sure if they have changed the bedspreads in all those years.) So I will be giving a little pep talk about planning (or not) for the future. These are mostly high school juniors and seniors so they are getting ready to make the big leap into college.
I should add that while I was state champion I only placed 14th (I think) at nationals (no one told me about the turkeys) my brother who competed a few years before me came in 2nd in the nation! Not bad for a couple of kids from suburban DC.
While here in Louisville I am going to be starting finishing my paper on Targum Ruth. A great work and a lot of fun, but I have to admit that there is not as much going on with the character of Ruth as I first thought. There is certainly an emphasis upon Ruth as a proselyte and a variety of interesting additions but…well, just come to the session on Monday afternoon. 
I will arrive in Boston on Friday afternoon. Any other folks going to be there that early? I would love to meet up with folks for a meal.
