Thursday, September 01, 2005
Today I borrowed a shirt from the coach to wear over my bikini, which I must replace with a sporty onepiece by the next class meeting. Fortunately, I did receive meager payment from having worked during the interim for a few office shifts (I may afford the swimsuit). Unfortunately, more dinero will not arrive for another two weeks, which could spell "scariness" when the time arrives to pay my lovely credit card bills... but I ought to be fine.
Dr. Reed caught me as I entered German the other day (she teaches ancient Near Eastern art in that same classroom), to mention she had sent the program itinerary via postal mail, and to remark pointedly that presentations occur next week. I did not mention that I have not written my ten-page presentation yet, nor that I am still not finished building my little model. These dadgum classes and office shifts keep obstructing progress.
Erik, who is supposed to enlighten conference attendees as to the mechanical operations of ancient temple door openers, tapped my shoulder after class today to inform me he has not even begun building his model yet (again: we drive to Riudoso September sixteenth). I double-fived him, delightedly feeling better about my own procrastination. Tim, the grad student (and, therefore, the adult of the trio), wrote his paper long ago and has revised it several times during the summer. I earnestly wish I could motivated myself to do likewise, but I admittedly approached this entire situation in a far-too-relaxed manner.
But Erik attended last year, and he seems perfectly nonchalant. And at most, I might be telling seventeen people about the hydraulics of the Roman aqueduct system. With a miniscule likelihood that anyone will have too much background knowledge, I ought to be fine. No one will stone me to death if I err or neglect something, but I will nevertheless aim for a fabulous presentation, replete with water effects.
Maybe I'll drown.
[Lauree Frances Keith concluded this diatribe at 5:03 PM]