SF Aquarium Visit
SFAquarium
Originally uploaded by suzipaw
Don't get any ideas.
Today is the last day of my conference. It was mobbed yesterday, but I bet it will be much quieter today. It's been a very interesting experience being just a regular attendee and not one of the organizers. I've gotten some good ideas, but not a lot of practical info, unfortunately--ideally I'd like to get both. It's been hard being indoors all day, it feels like I'm in a casino (and there were some similarly scantily clad booth babes wandering around, adding to that feeling--where was the booth beef, I wonder?) and the weather has been spectacular, what little I've seen walking to and from the convention center. It's also a little frustrating trying to keep up with my work while paying attention to something else all day, particularly since part of our group is onsite at one of our events, so logistics are complicated. I've been emailing late into the night, which is never a good idea.
At least it feels that way, it's so warm. I'm puttering, trying to get a few household chores done before my travels. I'm in Santa Clara on Monday, then in the City for a show Tuesday through Thursday; home Friday and Saturday, then back in SF Sunday through Friday. I'm glad I won't be spending much time actually in transit, but it's hard being away so much, particularly since I've really enjoyed being home yesterday and today--our "Shut UP!" neighbors have been away much of the time, and so I've been able to sit on the deck in peace. Now they're all back and of course he's running some sort of machine and the kids are screaming (happily, at least)…
(Cue the violins) I took 20 minutes from my 11-hour work day today to submit a piece to Prairie Home Companion's sonnet contest . The deadline is still a couple of hours away if you're so inclined. I imagine rows and rows of members of the Professional Organization of English Majors reading sonnets all night, culling the best of the best. Will I (sigh, gasp) be among them? There are thousands upon thousands of submissions, so I know that my chances of being recognized are slim to none, but I'm still going to be listening tomorrow night, just in case.
Holy Well-filling, Batman: I've had some dreams and others have too. Checking my email at work today I received a message from a friend of a friend who had dreamed about me over the weekend, asking if I'd like to take her place at a workshop led by Julia Cameron in Sedona, AZ…this coming weekend. I couldn't peel myself away from the commitments I have in order to accept such a generous and unexpected gift (and remember, it's on my horoscopian to-do list to let myself accept more gifts this year, so that weighed on me a bit) but the gesture alone has just transformed my outlook today. It's been too long since I've reminded myself of how lucky I am with my life and the people around me.