#conference stuff

The Bad:

Two former mentors and several other people clearly don’t want much of anything to do with me now that I’m not a professor, and one of them looked at me with so much pity in her eyes that it made me feel sick.

At the banquet, someone brought up my dad’s being a professor and in my field, and then suddenly everyone at our table wanted to talk about him and his research and his college, until I finally had to sort of stutter out that we were estranged and no I don’t know how he’s doing. Luckily dessert was served soon after so I was able to escape with a friend to pull myself back together again before I had to go back in and socialize with a smile on my face.

The Good:

My close friends are still my friends, despite my leaving the field, and we’ve become even closer.

I’ve served as a mentor for many grad students who think they don’t want to be a professor but are scared of imagining another life because they’re afraid of the shame and shunning.

I’ve FINALLY (after 6 years of trying) gotten people on board with having a code of conduct for the conference, and I’ll be spearheading the campaign to write one.

I had a lovely time hiking and exploring.

I’ve apparently mostly overcome my fear of heights, because I went in a gondola that was a lot like the cable car in H&E and didn’t freak out! :D

I did a kickass job on my paper and changed how people interpret a famous poem.

My former dissertation director said 2 almost nice things about my paper, which was honestly the most praise I’ve ever gotten from him at one time.

No one was actively horrible to me about leaving the field.

If I’d had any tiny nagging doubts about leaving my job, the conference eliminated them.

*copies photo to resume*

tomorrow there are no AM sessions i want to go to so (after i post chapter 2 of stardust speakeasies) I’m gonna go to the smithsonian AIR AND SPACE to say hi to all the jpl images and also amelia earhart’s plane. <3 <3