PTSD

oh the places you will (not) go...

It's been a Dr. Seuss kind of weekend. First, there was the absolutely brilliant GBS concert, about which Elizabeth has already written. I first heard them in Australia, through a Canadian student who used to live on my floor in the dorms. He used to blast their songs at all hours of the day and night, especially during exams. If you've had "Marie-Mac" and "Rant and Roar" played at you, while you're trying to finish up that blasted Econometrics project at 3am, you'll realise GBS songs are something that stick to mind. On Friday, they played lots of their old songs, I knew the words to (almost) all of them and some random kid bought me a beer (which cost $6). These things never happen to me at regular concerts.

Then, yesterday, I found out that I got accepted to this Symposium thingy that I had given myself about a 5% chance of being accepted. Before you say, "Ah, that Priya. She's so modest", let me point out that a) I'm not modest about my work since I rather think I'm good at the whole research and teaching bit (not at writing, not at all) and b) this is a Symposium at a BigNameUni and over 200 people applied for a total of 30-something spots and c) see b) and remember that I do "odd" stuff, not the usual terrorist-y things where all "we" are trying to do is get rid of those pesky buggers.

Really, the likelihood of my being accepted was about the same as Nepal qualifying for the next (cricket) World Cup. But, law of averages and probabilities aside, I got a letter saying that they had decided I should join them this Summer. Good news, yous say.

Well, no. Let me clarify.

For once, I had a plan for the next few months. I'd planned to move out of my place of residence when my lease ran out (at the end of May), gather up LilSis2 (who will have finished exams in her place of learning and will be visiting our glorious city) and wander up the Northeast Coast of the USA, stopping at various places along the way. After about 10 days or so of this, LilSis was to have returned back to her place of learning in the wilds of the Far North and I would have crossed the country (not on foot or car but by train) and ended up in sunny (or, as people keep telling me, foggy) California, just in time for my two-month coralling the hormonal youngsters gig. Yes, well, I had it all planned.

Now, the Northeast's out since I have to be here for the Symposium. I have nowhere to stay (since my lease runs out) and no bludging around Massachusetts, as planned. In a fit of what can only be called temporary insanity, I also volunteered to present a paper at this gig and have to have said paper ready by 25 May. I didn't feel like telling them that I didn't actually have a paper. After all, they are mostly academics--they should know that, right?

I am still hoping my train-across-the-USA trip will come through since if I have to fly to California after all this, I will be deeply disappointed (if not quite terrified).

Well, tomorrow, it's Workshop-ing and Student Presentations time for my class. The ones doing "scientific research" go first. I'm sure yous want to know how this will go so I'll keep yous updated.

posted by Priya @ 10:24 PM