19 Cheshvan/6 November, 2009
Nov. 6th, 2009 09:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bearshortyToday was the first day of Important Conference. It starts really early but I actually woke up before 7 by myself. I read in bed a bit and then went to get breakfast at the café downstairs. There is a free conference continental breakfast but it took me awhile to find it and their bagels were a bit sad. Plus I got great tea at the café. Then on the way to the first floor to go grade, I ran into a historian who I met when I was in England four years ago. She and her husband are good friends of the advisor. She is also the nicest person. So she went to a restaurant to get her breakfast and I kept her company for about an hour. We had really good conversation; she likes to read sci-fi which is cool.
After I managed to grade I paper, I went to the first panel of all medievalists. Advisor gave a talk too. He constructs his papers well, out of three great talks by fairly important historians his was the clearest. Perhaps because I am interested in the topic too and I know a lot of background on it. Really Famous Historian’s comments were really wonderful too. The panel was on representation and the political possibilities of lower social groups like peasants and seamen. There was a discussion of “politics” and what the word might mean and whether down/top approach is really possible.
I got lunch at subways and managed to grade another paper. Then I went to the afternoon panel with one medievalist and two early moderns. One paper on sisters in 17-18th century England and the marriage outcomes was really well presented, very funny. Another girl dealing with religion was a bit boring. But overall the comments and two out of three papers were entertaining.
After the second panel I got back to my room and put finishing touches on my own paper. I wrote a new introduction and deleted some things to compensate and I hope that will make my paper clearer. Nothing I can do about it now, so it will just have to do. I then went to print it but the hotel’s “business center” couldn’t charge by credit card (the hotel that charges so much money should at least give us free internet and printing). The girl at the front desk was nice enough to print it for me for free. I stopped by at the reception at the top of the hotel that had this rotating floor and window. It did have a magnificent view of nighttime downtown Louisville. Shiny objects on black background are very pretty.
At seven it was time to head to the medievalist dinner planned by Really Famous Historian. I met a professor who was the head of the search committee to one of the colleges I applied last year, which was a bit surreal. She told me that she really liked my application actually but others in the department wanted to go with someone who taught full time before. (a bit catch-22 there). It was nice to hear at least that my application didn’t suck. The restaurant was ok, nothing too special foodwise. I just got a salad with chicken. The group was broken up into three tables with about seven people each (there is a large contingent of medievalists this year). By chance I ended up sitting across from Really Famous Historian and a some other big important names. I get shy in the situations like this, I’m sure they thought I was super boring because I can’t contribute too much. Plus there is some awe that prevents me from making too snarky comments. But it was fun to see the teasing and in-jokes of people who know each other well, who spend summers in England together pretty much.
My talk is early tomorrow morning -8:45 in fact. Advisor promised to come with coffee and Really Famous Historian said she’d come if she will be awake. I hope she sleeps in. Overall a long day where I go from feeling out of place a bit to really good to shy again. I’m not too comfortable in large gatherings where I need to make small talk with random people and conferences are always peculiar. Tomorrow a long, long day but I’m really looking forward to seeing Cat.
After I managed to grade I paper, I went to the first panel of all medievalists. Advisor gave a talk too. He constructs his papers well, out of three great talks by fairly important historians his was the clearest. Perhaps because I am interested in the topic too and I know a lot of background on it. Really Famous Historian’s comments were really wonderful too. The panel was on representation and the political possibilities of lower social groups like peasants and seamen. There was a discussion of “politics” and what the word might mean and whether down/top approach is really possible.
I got lunch at subways and managed to grade another paper. Then I went to the afternoon panel with one medievalist and two early moderns. One paper on sisters in 17-18th century England and the marriage outcomes was really well presented, very funny. Another girl dealing with religion was a bit boring. But overall the comments and two out of three papers were entertaining.
After the second panel I got back to my room and put finishing touches on my own paper. I wrote a new introduction and deleted some things to compensate and I hope that will make my paper clearer. Nothing I can do about it now, so it will just have to do. I then went to print it but the hotel’s “business center” couldn’t charge by credit card (the hotel that charges so much money should at least give us free internet and printing). The girl at the front desk was nice enough to print it for me for free. I stopped by at the reception at the top of the hotel that had this rotating floor and window. It did have a magnificent view of nighttime downtown Louisville. Shiny objects on black background are very pretty.
At seven it was time to head to the medievalist dinner planned by Really Famous Historian. I met a professor who was the head of the search committee to one of the colleges I applied last year, which was a bit surreal. She told me that she really liked my application actually but others in the department wanted to go with someone who taught full time before. (a bit catch-22 there). It was nice to hear at least that my application didn’t suck. The restaurant was ok, nothing too special foodwise. I just got a salad with chicken. The group was broken up into three tables with about seven people each (there is a large contingent of medievalists this year). By chance I ended up sitting across from Really Famous Historian and a some other big important names. I get shy in the situations like this, I’m sure they thought I was super boring because I can’t contribute too much. Plus there is some awe that prevents me from making too snarky comments. But it was fun to see the teasing and in-jokes of people who know each other well, who spend summers in England together pretty much.
My talk is early tomorrow morning -8:45 in fact. Advisor promised to come with coffee and Really Famous Historian said she’d come if she will be awake. I hope she sleeps in. Overall a long day where I go from feeling out of place a bit to really good to shy again. I’m not too comfortable in large gatherings where I need to make small talk with random people and conferences are always peculiar. Tomorrow a long, long day but I’m really looking forward to seeing Cat.
