I'm back.

Standard operating procedure: pictures will come later as my camera's charging back up. (I thought of taking it with me, but being a Mavica, it's so large and takes up so much space I decided against it).

I finished the two long-term sock projects (the Jaywalker socks and also the Interweave cabled socks). I also did get around to making a Nautie, finally. And I knit up a little hat.

Part of this (most of the finishing of the cabled socks) was thanks to having an 11 hour (each way) trip to the conference, and I didn't wind up doing ANY of the driving, despite repeated offers.

I hate traveling.

I guess the conference was worth giving up essentially two whole days of my life to get there and get back. There were, I guess I'll be a little open about it, some organizational problems. Yes, they didn't have a lot of time to pull the thing together. But. I didn't know until I arrived what day my presentations were on. They ran out of food at one of the banquets. Announcements of times and places didn't always make it to everyone. In general, it was the kind of thing that drives slightly compulsive types like me insane. I realize objectively it was little stuff - like, when we walked in in the morning, we didn't know where the evening meeting was going to be - but it was something that ate at me all day and affected my ability to pay attention because I was worrying about where that darn evening meeting was and what I was going to do if I never found out.

Like I said, drives slightly compulsive types like me crazy. (I also can't stand the "contemporary" worship services where they don't have a bulletin, so you don't know whether the sermon is after two songs or one song or when you need to plan to get up and pass the peace).

I know I was not very pleasant to my traveling companions at the Tuesday evening meal, where they ran out of barbecue. But, for goodness' sake, DON'T start serving food an hour before everyone can get there. Don't plan on there being stuff leftover for the latecomers when you serve buffet style and there are graduate students and junior faculty in the serving line,* HOLD BACK a couple trays of stuff. And don't put out mac and cheese after the bbq ribs are all gone and expect people to be happy about it! (There were also what were probably Salisbury steak patties which I referred loudly to as "mystery meat" and refused to eat - but I was, I admit, pretty pissed off by that point. I was tired, and hungry, and had been promised barbecue, and had gotten an ugly look from a guy in line who was going back for (at least) seconds when one of the people I was traveling with asked him to step back, as there were people who hadn't had "firsts" yet)

(*Yes, prejudicial, I know. But I've never seen food-mooches like some of the guys (and women) I went to grad school with, unless it's some of the guys that are my colleagues now)

The other thing that annoyed me a bit was that apparently the mac and cheese - the "vegetarian" option - wasn't put out until after the ribs were gone. So there were vegetarians who, like me, were having to make do with corn on the cob and rolls. Not very fair.

Anyway. I'm just filing those thoughts away in case there comes a day when my campus hosts some kind of a conference. The vegetarian issue is a big thing, because there are few vegetarians right around where I live, and so people don't tend to take into account that there are people in the larger world who don't eat meat, and who need some kind of nutritious food that doesn't contain meat. (And cold pasta salad does not count as a "vegetarian" main dish in my book.)

I will say I have a couple new ideas for some research projects. My plan for the coming week is to extensively clean my office at work (it's really, really bad. I can't properly work in there because there's so much clutter) and then re-institute last fall's New Rule - about doing an hour to an hour and a half of research-oriented work or professional development per day. I figure if I have a clean office, I will feel more geared towards working in it.

There weren't as many people at the conference as in the past (and far fewer vendors; no booksellers, boo). I guess the price of gas is having impacts all over.

I've also decided that as gas is nearly $3 now, I'm going to be more judicious about my trips. I've decided to try to limit the trips to the Sherman/Denison area to once a month, if I can, and rely on (ugh) wal-mart for most of my grocery shopping.

I'm going to miss antiquing. If I'm just going once a month for "essentials," I'm not going to have time to hit the antique shops and that makes me sad. There are a few antique shops in town, but they don't have a whole lot of variety and the stock turns over so slowly - I walk in them and see stuff I saw last year.

It hasn't rained at all while I was gone. This is the time of year when I start to get twitchy and neurotic - I catch myself thinking, what if it never rains again? What if it never cools down? what if the weather is going to be like this forever? Will the university where I teach close down, will the town move away because the water dries up? Will I have to get another job somewhere? Or will the hot, dry, unchanging weather just drive me away?