Meet-up

Thank you, Jjiraffe and Esperanza for taking the risk to meet a virtual stranger for tea this afternoon! It was so surreal to meet you in person after following your blogs for awhile – I can’t remember how long, actually; certainly long enough to get a sense of your online personas, the struggles you’ve chosen to share with the bloggy world, your families, your concerns. It was a pleasure to see you in 3D (and to realize, E, that your sidebar photo does NOT do you justice! The more recent photos in the “snuggles” post are so much more what you look like in person! I.e., beautiful ) This is the first time I’ve ever met in person people I’ve only known previously online. So worth it.

Today I also met three scholars whose work I’ve read and cited often. I was really nervous about it, knowing I’d have to really “bring it” with my own presentation (since we were all on a -gulp! – panel together), and it was relief that I found them to be cordial, genial, and easy to talk to (well, 2 of the 3 were. The other introduced himself as a neurotic misanthrope – his words, not mine! – so I knew that one was going to be an uphill battle…but he warmed up by the end).

Two women, blogging friends – three men, academic heavyweights. Parallel streams in my life intersecting in the small space of this amazing city. It’s no wonder I’m exhausted to the core of my being, right?

More anon.

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