I am experiencing some nerves. While most everything is booked and paid for: all accommodations (except the albregues on the camino... and I'm still not sure where I'm staying in Manchester), all ten flights, sixteen of nineteen train trips (the remaining three are day trips I'll purchase on-the-spot), all eight coach trips and most museum and tour tickets; I'm like flat broke!
But I guess I should be. I've invested $5,000. Ideally, I need to earn $5,000 more over the next 13 days... about $400 per day. 200 panes per day. I've got this, right? The work is lined up, just need to go knock it out. And quit spending so much, both trip-related and non. Staying on budget for 100 days will be one of my biggest tests.
Speaking of which, this is the first blog from my new laptop/tablet combo. A week or so ago I spent $300 on a Lenovo Flex 3. Super lightweight (for packing all over Europe) and came with Microsoft Office. I'll need that to write the power point presentation... which I still need to do. Another cause of nerves. The Keynote will be the culmination of my research and there's still some digging around left to do once I'm in Europe. I can certainly cull from my former papers, articles and presentations, but I want to manage two other feats: go a little deeper, while at the same time, presenting a bit lighter, more familiar, almost, than my last presentations. I want it to be fun for the audience. I know how to engage through humor... but is Vincent a laughing matter? Hope I find the right balance. The past experiences have given me a lot of confidence. My scholarship is sound; my research is, I was going to say interesting, but no, it's fascinating. Van Gogh painted the Last Supper and nobody noticed? You can't make this stuff up.
I wasn't sure about what to wear for the Keynote. I don't want to pack a heavy suit all over Europe that I'll only wear once. Romantically, I imagined showing up disheveled as Indiana Jones midway through a journey. But packing that whip? Ultimately, I bought a light khaki, linen suit. Now I've got something I can use not only for the conference but for looking dapper when it seems apropos. I may even grow to like that image of a new me. I'll have to get it dry cleaned before the speech... probably in Rome, then wear it on the plane? Could get crumpled pretty easily but I arrive in Brighton the day before the lecture and I doubt I can find a dry cleaner to get it done in less than twelve hours.
I have spent much of the last three weeks mulling over minutia like this. I've booked a fairly tight schedule, having invested nearly $2,000 in transportation. I have to be at an airport, train or bus station on time at least 34 different times. Having checked Google maps for proximity from each accommodation, I should be fine.
In other news, my friend Rachel from South Carolina will be joining me in Rome and Brighton! I haven't seen her since college, so I'm very excited to get caught up with her. Which reminds me, I need to contact Dr. Haldane at Iafor and arrange for a few invited guests... wonder how big this new venue is?
Ciao for now,
Jared
No comments:
Post a Comment