Sunday, November 1, 2015

triumph

My favorite time of every-other-year is officially over.  The 2015 Blackfriars Conference ended two hours ago.  I'm finally free to nap (sweet merciful heaven, but I am completely sleep-deprived and exhausted beyond reason), get some work done, respond to emails, eat a real meal, do laundry, clean my apartment, and resume functioning like a normal person.

For me, this week was a series of triumphs, both personal and professional, both powerful and petty.  On Wednesday, the first day of the conference, I presented a paper to a room of 200-ish scholars.  Well-received all around, I made my faculty and my colleagues proud, and most importantly, was able to be heard in the entire room.  I hope this is the first of many times I'm invited to share my work on the stage.

I networked with scholars, handed out business cards, live-tweeted, and schmoozed, all without making a fool of myself.  I talked to scholars I respect and admire without seeming like an addled fangirl, and I carried myself professionally.  Well done, me.

And then last night, at the masquerade ball, a gentleman I admire said very flattering words about my appearance.  A petty, insignificant triumph, to be sure, but one that I found deliciously sweet.

I am living a very good life, my friends.

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