Drop that veil

2:21 a.m.

first official blog-check in of the trip. i meant to do better than this. though, if this blog is all about the things that distract me from living a normal life, then i suppose i get a few mulligans in the field of consistency.

i feel like the only person from western that's actually interested in academic and professional advancement at this meeting. that was a grammatically terrible sentence. so was that. fuck it.

i also, as it happens, feel like a fucking narc, because of my drunk friends who also like to smoke pot in hotel rooms paid for with federal grants. yeeah. i am the responsible party. the very bitchy, very tired, responsible party.

i am also, apparently, a terrible wife. missed like 6 calls from bo and made him worry. terrible.

here's the 2:32 a.m. recap of the last 3 days:

tuesday:

wake up late. do not proctor, or even attend, historical geology. get there so late that no one is around to conveniently let you into the lab to get your poster tube. find that poster tube is too small for poster since stupid undergrad research expo required goddamn velcro strips. curse undergrad expo and honors college generally, RIC especially, and scrunch poster tighter to fit. grab core sample for petrology homework that you will almost certainly not do. say farewell to the few lingering staff, saunter off with much self-importance to very exciting solo road trip.

reach asheville. eat sushi with husband and all of husband's geeky buddies. feel self-important for understanding half of their techy jokes. say farewell to husband, head for wilmington.

stop once on the way to wilmington. feel self-important for making good time and missing rush hour in charlotte. curse hwy 74 for going through so many goddamn towns. watch sun set. reach lonely boredom point that moves you to put on the pop station. smoke too many cigarettes. wish you had a beer. pass under first proper live oak of the whole trip -- almost crash the car in excitement. jump up and down in your seat for an hour, wishing you had left earlier so that you could see all the glorious coastal trees.

find motel. check into motel. border on harassing hotel clerk with conversation because you have been so starved for human interaction for so many hours. give self hair-cut. feel self-important because it looks so damn good. take shower in front of unfortunately placed mirror. feel self-importance deflate. fast forward to next morning (rest is just neurotic ironing and hardcore pawn marathon).

Wednesday.

Awake in panic at 6, 7, 8, pull self out of bed at 9. stuff pockets with continental breakfast, prepare to be homeless from 11 to 8 by frantically searching out any destinations worth seeing. regret being too neurotic to do this last night, thereby forestalling current panic at prospect of boredom. boredom is desperate and suspicious, and must be avoided. settle on aquarium, beach and back itinerary.

drive to beach, second-guess directions, loop around, almost get pulled over, ask directions, proceed ahead. say hello to ocean, text friends about being at beach, but secretly don't really enjoy it, just like always. kick off sand, head to aquarium. become suspicious of directions, loop around, eventually backtrack and persist. spend 2 hours wandering around sketching fish, revel in enjoyment of marine biology like not since the age of 11. start to panic about the time, head back to town.

park downtown, have to pee desperately since consuming 2 liters of diet cola on the ride back. find coffee shop on main drag, steal wireless, pee relentlessly. give 25 cents worth of chocolate espresso beans to random crying girl on street, scowl at college students through fly new aviators.

wander aimlessly, in one direction, hoping to find record shop. fail. walk towards river. begin to panic about the time again, force self to walk back up the river towards hotel at leisurely, definitely cool pace.

reach car. eat banana, try to act nonchalant and definitely not temporarily homeless, as advisor and her husband arrive. receive news that will have to check into convention and assemble poster solo. panic inwardly in very real way. realize that you are actually here to be impressive professional, and that this fate can no longer be forgotten in moray eels and espresso beans. cry inwardly for half a second, then proceed with practiced air of importance.

set up poster, and advisor's booth, field some preliminary questions from early birds about hydrology which is really not the focus of the poster, sweat profusely, hope that it is accordingly warm in the convention center to excuse damp behaviour. blame genetics for excessive sweat. curse academia generally.

stand by poster, do excellently, mingle, eat free food, drink free beer, mingle more, relish in the number of contacts that are in the room.

finish poster session, drink more, eventually end up back at hotel room.

Thursday.

that's for tomorrow. it's 3:02 a.m. and my ass is tired. i was planning to sleep until 9 tomorrow, which seemed luxurious, but now that's only 6 hours. yayyy drama.