Adieu, mes amis
Jul. 16th, 2009 07:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bironicDespite having not slept well and waking early and working a long day, today turned out great. In fact, I might say super great.
I went to part of a conference between work tasks. Some of it was fascinating and some of it was so dull I started to write down the names of all the Harry Potter characters I could remember in the smallest block letters I could manage. (For God's sake, people, did you never learn not to cram your PowerPoint slides with text and then read them as your presentation?)
The important point here is that I made myself network. There were two people I'd spoken with for my thesis at school who were presenting, and at the lunch break, by which point I had gone back to my office, I made myself go back down to the cafeteria to see if these two were there, even though I was sure they'd be mobbed with people wanting to make conversation. Well, as it happened, one of them waved to me with a big smile and they invited me to sit with them, and no one else came up. So we had a lovely cozy half-hour together. It was a damn good thing I did that, too, because they had to rush off right after the meeting to catch a flight.
And after the last panel, I made myself go up and introduce myself to the conference organizer, because I'd been trying to reach him during the school year and never got through. He turned out to be a very nice guy, and when he said I should let him know if there was anything he could do for me and I half-jokingly said, well, if you're looking to hire someone..., he said, actually..., and made a face that suggested this was a timely point, and told me to send him my resume. So, hey. One more chance to land a job come September.
Also, randomly, I met someone from the Vasculitis Foundation today. I asked, and she said House has indeed done wonders for raising public awareness of the disease, although she could have done without the episode where someone killed a Wegener's patient, or a Wegener's patient killed someone else, to alleviate their suffering. I didn't quite follow and don't remember the plot she was talking about, but I can see how that would be a downer.
And then when I got home, there was an early birthday present from my mom and a set of class/faculty photos from my program coordinator that we took in May. They make me nostalgic.
But that's okay, because tomorrow I head off to Boston to meet up with some of the aforementioned classmates for what is going to be a glorious weekend in Maine at a faculty member's house. I've been anticipating this for months. It may rain a little on Saturday, but otherwise it looks sunny and mid-70s. \o/
ETA: And it seems I finally got paid today! Also \o/
Anyway, I won't be back online until late Monday. (If you're my Remixer and you're reading this after the archive goes live, I don't hate the story, I'm just not here!)
I went to part of a conference between work tasks. Some of it was fascinating and some of it was so dull I started to write down the names of all the Harry Potter characters I could remember in the smallest block letters I could manage. (For God's sake, people, did you never learn not to cram your PowerPoint slides with text and then read them as your presentation?)
The important point here is that I made myself network. There were two people I'd spoken with for my thesis at school who were presenting, and at the lunch break, by which point I had gone back to my office, I made myself go back down to the cafeteria to see if these two were there, even though I was sure they'd be mobbed with people wanting to make conversation. Well, as it happened, one of them waved to me with a big smile and they invited me to sit with them, and no one else came up. So we had a lovely cozy half-hour together. It was a damn good thing I did that, too, because they had to rush off right after the meeting to catch a flight.
And after the last panel, I made myself go up and introduce myself to the conference organizer, because I'd been trying to reach him during the school year and never got through. He turned out to be a very nice guy, and when he said I should let him know if there was anything he could do for me and I half-jokingly said, well, if you're looking to hire someone..., he said, actually..., and made a face that suggested this was a timely point, and told me to send him my resume. So, hey. One more chance to land a job come September.
Also, randomly, I met someone from the Vasculitis Foundation today. I asked, and she said House has indeed done wonders for raising public awareness of the disease, although she could have done without the episode where someone killed a Wegener's patient, or a Wegener's patient killed someone else, to alleviate their suffering. I didn't quite follow and don't remember the plot she was talking about, but I can see how that would be a downer.
And then when I got home, there was an early birthday present from my mom and a set of class/faculty photos from my program coordinator that we took in May. They make me nostalgic.
But that's okay, because tomorrow I head off to Boston to meet up with some of the aforementioned classmates for what is going to be a glorious weekend in Maine at a faculty member's house. I've been anticipating this for months. It may rain a little on Saturday, but otherwise it looks sunny and mid-70s. \o/
ETA: And it seems I finally got paid today! Also \o/
Anyway, I won't be back online until late Monday. (If you're my Remixer and you're reading this after the archive goes live, I don't hate the story, I'm just not here!)
no subject
Date: Jul. 16th, 2009 11:26 pm (UTC)Going to HP tomorrow morning! Have you seen it yet?
no subject
Date: Jul. 16th, 2009 11:34 pm (UTC)We saw La Boheme, didn't we? Mostly I remember being impressed by your on-the-fly translation skillz, and the serendipity of having found a spot right by the fireworks. That was a fun time. And sounds like this year was even better, picnic-wise. And no, I haven't forgotten about that last batch of trip photos!
The HP names worked well because they didn't require as much concentration as playing around with a story, because I did have half an ear out for when the presenter started back in on something interesting. :) I got stuck on Fenrir Greyback, though. Couldn't remember his name for hours.
Have fun at the movie!
no subject
Date: Jul. 16th, 2009 11:38 pm (UTC)I think we watched La Traviata. If it were La Boheme I'd probably have made comparisons to Rent and to the time I saw that opera in NY, and I don't remember us having conversations about that.
no subject
Date: Jul. 17th, 2009 12:22 am (UTC)This has been a very content-full comment. *nods sagely*
no subject
Date: Jul. 17th, 2009 02:33 am (UTC)I'll miss you this weekend! : ( Hurry back.
*hugs*
no subject
Date: Jul. 20th, 2009 03:29 pm (UTC)I vaguely remember Wegener's being mentioned on House, but I'm not sure of the episode. (My memory for actual diseases on House is not great. If I remember anyone's final diagnosis, it will be as "the thing that makes your brain boil and then do the Macarena" or something similar.)