Tomorrow around 3 p.m. I will be on my way to see Stephen! Fall break is this Thursday and Friday, and it couldn’t have come at a better time because I don’t know how much longer I could have gone without seeing him. (It’s been almost an entire month. That’s a loooong time.) Our visit will be slightly interrupted by my attendance at the Southeastern Medieval Association (SEMA) conference, where I will present a paper that is not yet complete (or rather, it’s complete but is entirely too long and not presentable in its current state). I’m less than excited about this conference, but mainly because I’ve never presented at one before, and I don’t want people to think I’m arguing something completely preposterous and then call me out on it during the question and answer time. Or worse yet, what if someone asks me a question I can’t answer? Fortunately for me, one of my professors suggested replying with, “That’s a great question. What do YOU think?” but I don’t know that responding in that manner would be appropriate for me. It might work for him, since he’s a nationally and internationally known Anglo Saxonist, but I’m just a lowly grad student. If I could just attend this conference and listen to everyone else’s papers, I think I’d enjoy myself immensely. Oh well, at least I get to stay in a hotel and don’t have to pay for it because of the university’s fabulous travel budget.
Oh, and I’m driving a nice little Pontiac Vibe for the rest of the week because my car is at a dealership being repaired. Poor little Chestnut Cruiser (my car) was hit in the parking lot on campus, and her driver’s side tail light did not survive the impact. Fortunately for me, the guy who hit me was ever so nice and left his name and number, which restored in me some faith in humanity, and his parents happen to own a local dealership here in town and are taking care of everything. I really can’t quite believe how easy the process was, considering that things never seem to be that easy for me, but I’ll take it. I’ll definitely take it.
After the conference I am heading to Memphis to spend the weekend at my parent’s house, where Stephen will also be, and we’re celebrating my birthday a week early at Outback because my parents are going to be on a cruise on my actual birthday. My best friend Emily will be there, as will hopefully my brother and sister-in-law and nephew, and it should be a great weekend. I miss my family.
There’s really no point to this post. I basically just don’t want to work on my paper. It’s quite possible I’ll still be working on it come Friday morning, and I’ll have to read it off my computer screen. That would be entertaining, wouldn’t it?
Here’s to a four-day weekend of academia, family, and my love, Stephen. (You can commence gagging now.)
Erin Mount 