I think I mentioned a friend awhile ago who said that I needed someone to take care of me. I kind of bristled internally at the time, but I totally and completely agree now. I get myself in dreadful muddles when I'm left to my own devices. Absolutely dreadful.
I think it's a combination of rushing headlong into things, being too confident in my abilities, a blind faith that everything will work out right if I just keep going, a resistance to letting people know that I need help, and an internal insecurity in completely new situations. It sounds contradictory. It is.
Somehow, I always have to do things in the hardest way possible.
I'll share the full story when I feel up to it. A little preview: last night, long after dark, I ended up prowling the suburbs of Madison, WI while wearing a trench coat and dragging a suitcase.
Yep. Wisconsin. I'm in Madison right now attending the 39th Annual Conference on South Asia. It's a big deal. I'm presenting a paper tomorrow. I wish I felt like a big deal. Since it is a big deal, I packed my best Serious Academic clothes. I definitely overdressed. Unless you count the women in wonderful saris - they are the height of elegance.
In other news, I love Bengali and Bangladeshi academics. They're beautiful, earnest, hilarious, brilliant people.
Also, academics love to eat. I think its a holdover from their starving college days. It is very nice for this current starving college student.
The University of Wisconsin has a full-blown red brick castle. Darn those Lutherans. BYU needs a castle. But seriously, it's really, really cool.
Suzanne, you inspire me. I'm so excited for everything you do, and I'm afraid we find ourselves in the same boat on being just a little too self-reliant(I may or may not just feign self-reliance, though). I hope your presentation went well!
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