Fourth post from the Netherlands

[aadler]

 
Susan woke up sick yesterday morning, so after we’d had our breakfast, she lay back down for another three hours. That did it for all the morning sessions at the conferences, and in the afternoon she still had chills and wanted to work on one of her doctoral assignments. Without ever having made an explicit decision, we ended up never going to the conference center at all.

By early evening, however, Susan was feeling enough better that we went ahead with the last item on the day’s schedule: a harbor cruise (and dinner) for those conference attendees who had chosen that option and paid for it. We shared a cab with one of the dozens of people Susan had already befriended, and arrived at the harbor almost precisely at the appointed time.

I would have preferred a daylight cruise; at night, I couldn’t really see anything except lights, which initially were pretty but eventually were just lights. Putting aside the view, however, the ship was appealing in its interior décor, the food was good and the company was pleasant. We had a nice time, and returned to the hotel at the end of it.

Because of the way the day had gone, I hadn’t finished revision of Susan’s presentation. Given the time constraints (and the fact that, despite my earlier boast about adroitness in writing, I found myself unable to get my head around the concept), we elected to go with the paper as it stood and focus on preparing the supplementary PowerPoint slide show. Finished that somewhat after midnight, then to bed.

*               *               *

Susan had the first presentation slot at the conference today, so we got up early and had a light a quick breakfast. At the conference center, I had no difficulty in copying the PowerPoint onto the projector laptop or printing out the paper copy with slide-advance cues, so we were ready well in advance. I had frankly expected the presentation to be seriously deficient, because there just wasn’t much substance there. I was wrong; Susan used the basic info as a framework, through which she projected her own experiences, perceptions and interpretations. Her talk was personal and directly relevant, where the others have been academic and focused on the larger scale.

We took the break that separated blocks of presentations, and sat in another block, and had lunch, and attended the final sessions. Susan and I each received certificates of appreciation (hers earned, mine nominal), and we talked and visited during the snacks-and-drinks at the end. I again ran across the Iranian gentleman, and — in Farsi — introduced my wife to him. (We also agreed, in Farsi, that beer is very good. When he asked if I had ever been to Iran, I replied honestly that I hadn’t but would love to; I thought — but didn’t say — I may, sometime in the next few years. It’s quite true that I would enjoy visiting that country as a tourist … and equally true that it’s currently more probable that I’ll go there in uniform.)

*               *               *

The conference is over now. Susan and I will check out of this hotel tomorrow morning, with no firm decision yet as to where we will go next. All the time from now until our departure, however, is strictly ours. Henceforth, we are fully tourists.

Comments

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

I know some people learn from history ... I don't run into a lot of 'em, though. I work for a Sheriff's Department, and I don't meet a lot of people who learn from their own personal history, either. A guy can make himself depressed, pursuing thoughts like that.

I'm with you. Disaster's in the air, and I'm very afraid this one will be so close we'll end up in court again, with another four years of "he's the real president!" Look to Pennsylvania to be an early indicator of just how bad that could be.