Adventures in Nashville....

Adventures is putting it kindly. While I have had a wonderful time in Nashville thus far, it has most definitely been an adventure (and that's not always a good thing).

I departed from my home in the sticks on Thursday morning at 6:30am with a warped notion that I might miss some of the Dallas traffic, but an overturned 18-wheeler on the interstate to the airport, in addition to construction along the way and general absurdity from 80% of the drivers around me, prevented me from making the quick trip I originally envisioned. Two hours later I found my way to the international terminal for my very domestic flight (your guess is as good as mine). Now, the international terminal at DFW is VERY swanky. Very swanky indeed. Picture space-age leather chairs, marble tables, walls of glass, a neon light or two, and you probably have a fair mental representation of the surroundings. Add 3.2 billion disgruntled travelers stuck in very long security lines and I'm sure you can also imagine the state of the union within that so swanky terminal. Thursday's security line was one of the bitchiest I've ever been in. While I was suffering along with everyone else, I managed to keep a pretty positive attitude (even though the over-surgeried hussy in front of me was carrying 2-too-many carry-on bags through security and a pool worth of illegal liquids). But, for the sake of example, I'll tell you that the man behind me, in what I perceived to be a fit of goodness toward strangers, passed one of those plastic security tubs ahead to a soldier to put his laptop in. However, after doing this good deed in the midst of the bitchy maelstrom, he turned to me and said, "I didn't do it to be nice, I just didn't want this line to get any longer."

Yeah. Bastard.

The flight was fine, and upon arriving in Music City I boarded the Gray Line shuttle service bound for a number of hotels in the greater Nashville area, and proceeded to almost lose my very life when the driver decided it was perfectly fine to execute a 3-point turn in the middle of a street that ran parallel to Vanderbilt University and the respective medical center next door.

Yeah. Awesome.

Since then things have been relatively smooth sailing. I haven't been accosted by the droves (really, droves) of homeless people hanging around music row, but I was accosted by a fellow Children's Lit scholar who mistook me for a good friend. This particular scholar is a relative big-wig in the field, so when she came up and put her arms around me, I was a tad taken aback. But I hugged her anyway. Because who doesn't hug a big-wig scholar when the scholar initiated it? We all had a good laugh (I was talking with some of her friends when the incident took place), and I thanked her for the warm welcome to my first big Children's Lit conference. Not all fields are this warm and fuzzy.

Thesis Director and I headed out on the town last night and consumed a heartbreakingly wonderful meal (it broke my heart when I wasn't able to eat it all) of shrimp/spinach/cheesy dip and spinach tortellini in alfredo sauce at the Old Spaghetti Factory. There was only one scary moment...when I realized I'd left my credit card at the Spaghetti Factory. Luckily, the manager had it in his pocket.

Today's been relatively uneventful. Thesis Director departed this morning but called a few minutes ago to inform me that her flight has been cancelled due to gawd-awful weather in DFW, and she might end up back here with me tonight. Fine with me. I spent the morning rattling around Painter's Alley and other main-draggish parts of the city. I bought pralines at Leon's Candy (featured on the Food Network), hit up Sun Records (bought a t-shirt), and puttered around in the Charlie Daniels Museum (more to see than anticipated).

For the remainder of the day, I'll finish up an article for Estella, look over the paper I'll be presenting tomorrow, and have dinner with some ISU girls.

Music City, here I come!

I'm off to Nashville tomorrow for a biggy conference in Children's Lit. Thesis Director left today and I fly out in the morning. Should be a good time as some of her friends are going to be there. She flies back to Dallas on Friday while I'll be staying over until Sunday, so I'll have some time on my hands to lounge and explore. And I'm staying at the Doubletree downtown, so it should be relatively posh and lovely. There's free wireless, so I'll be online plenty, I'm sure. Watch for pictures and updates!

As for the state of other affairs, I'm gearing up to write--sit down if you're not already--my letter to Ill. State declining the PhD. They haven't offered me any money and now is the time to turn them down if I'm going to. I can honestly say this has been one of the hardest decisions I've EVER made, and sometimes I can't even believe that I'm turning this PhD down, but I've come to the conclusion that there are other things I'd like to do with my life right now and flogging myself with stress isn't one of them. While I understand that there are plenty of stresses outside of academia, I'm quite burned out (charred, more like). I plan to secure a position teaching in a community college or try to snag an editing or tech writing job and spend time reading what I want to read, reviewing, working on the 'zine, and writing creatively in hopes of someday landing that fabled book deal. If I decide--at some point, somewhere--to go back, I can do that. If not, I have other options, and they're looking bright.

Thanks to everyone who has followed this saga along and given me good advice, kind words, and encouragement. Decisions suck. I'll let you know if I change my mind again tomorrow. ;)

A brighter day...

There have been some good reports from the direction of NC, so those prayers must be helping. Keep 'em coming because we aren't out of the woods, but the good reports certainly do make the days a little brighter.

In other news, I have nothing to report.

I'm busy, as usual. I should be busier doing things related to school, but it's much more fun to get the April issue of Estella ready to go and to read fun stuff!

Here's what I need to do:
Finish The Secret Garden, since I didn't finish it on my trip.
Grade papers.
Re-read and polish my conference paper for Nashville (I present on Saturday).
Write a letter for a professor.
Read some theory and write a response for Thursday.

Here's what I've been doing:
Reading Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subcultures for a review.
Prepping Estella.
Playing SIMS2.
Getting 2 new tires on my car and got my car inspected.
Teaching a class.
Checking e-mail (several times).
Reading blogs.

Meh. Responsibility is a drag.

What's everyone else up to?

I'm back...

I hadn't intended to go so quiet, but life went awry early Friday morning. A member of B.'s immediate family was involved in an accident, and I'm hesitant to share much more by way of details than that. I will just say that there has been a lot of waiting around in the hospital and many tears upon my departure because I really didn't want to leave with this particular family member in such critical condition. I know there's nothing I can do and the care is excellent, but sitting and waiting and being close felt like something.

So, with that small amount of information (details withheld out of respect for him and his family), I do ask that any and all of you who pray, please do so. For those of you who don't, some good positive healing vibes would be much appreciated.

My plane rolled into DFW last night around 11:40 (after an hour-long delay in Charlotte), and by the time I collected my bags, hopped the shuttle back to the remote parking lot, and got myself through the hour-long drive home, I fell into bed around 2:15am, got up this morning, and hauled myself to work. I fly out Thursday for a conference in Nashville, and I can honestly say that I don't give a damn about the conference. I would rather go back to NC than anything else right now.

However, with all the tragedy afoot, I'm eternally grateful for the time I got to spend with B.'s family this week. I hadn't been back in almost 3 years and it was very much like going home.