It is interesting how you can work so much ahead only to return to total chaos and the realization that you are now behind on everything... Time truly is relative and our actions in the world even more so... 
New Mexican roads stretch long and I suggest driving them at night, when the peril of breaking down with your 15-year old truck is less striking!
The conference was fun! Despite the fact that the hostel dorm was overly heated and therefore gave me trouble sleeping, which resulted in a relapse of my flu, it was worth while. Although the conference was on popular culture which is not directly my field, it was awesome to see what all is out there! There were over 1,200 presenters and the amount of panels so immense that it took hours to browse through the program to figure out a daily schedule!
My own presentation on Willa Cather's My Antonia went well, although I had to cut the paper down to less than the regular presentation length of 20 minutes to allow for extra coughing breaks. I am not sure if people could still hear the last paragraph read in a voice that had completely vanished at that point, but the feedback I got overall was good.
The chair of the gender panel in which I presented, Mrs. Gypsey Teague, did a great job as chair and hostess alike. It was incredibly interesting to meet her and Marla. I can only hope to be working with her again in the future.My colleagues and I had good conversations with just the right balance of business and small talk
to make the conference a truly wonderful and valuable experience. To top it all off, the keynote speaker was Joy Harjo, who took the role literally and performed her poetry accompanied by music on the stage on Friday afternoon.
After the four days of input on the Grateful Dead, the 
unacknowledged rise of HIV infections within the heterosexual swinger communities of the US, and Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre movie adaptations, I walked around Albuquerque's Old Town to absorb some of the city's atmosphere outside the conference hotel and the hostel. It is a cute little part of town and definitely worth visiting! The people there are very friendly and enjoy talking with you to initiate you into the lore of the city that otherwise remains unheard.
unacknowledged rise of HIV infections within the heterosexual swinger communities of the US, and Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre movie adaptations, I walked around Albuquerque's Old Town to absorb some of the city's atmosphere outside the conference hotel and the hostel. It is a cute little part of town and definitely worth visiting! The people there are very friendly and enjoy talking with you to initiate you into the lore of the city that otherwise remains unheard.
Once everything was over, I proceeded to go snowboarding in Sandia and Santa Fe. New Mexico, though very different from Utah, is fun to snowboard at and I thoroughly enjoyed my days out! Thus, I was prepared to face the trouble my students have caused for me with my supervisor during my
absence and I had the stamina to survive that crazy week after my return! A big thanks to Ryan Thorpe and Jessicca Vidrine for covering my classes, too! Without you two, I would have not felt good about leaving my "kids" behind.
absence and I had the stamina to survive that crazy week after my return! A big thanks to Ryan Thorpe and Jessicca Vidrine for covering my classes, too! Without you two, I would have not felt good about leaving my "kids" behind.
