Hi, I'm Paul. I've been an idiot for most of my life.
Unfortunately, I had a relapse just today. In truth, it turns out that I've been slipping for the past month, but today I found myself face-to-face with the consequences.
About a month ago, I was asked if I was interested in attending a three day conference that discusses teaching world history by looking at how cities have both changed and stayed the same over time. Now, due to a recent Michigan law, I no longer have to attend these sorts of conferences to keep my teaching certificate, but the concept sounded interesting and the conference only cost $45 for the three days (including lunch and a continental breakfast).
I have been planning my first full week of summer break around this conference. Yesterday, I was to spend getting my writing space ready (the subject of yesterday's post), today through Thursday (the 17th through the 19th) I was to spend at the conference, and Friday I was to run the Savage Tides campaign.
Now, the conference is at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, a place with which I am not well acquainted. Thankfully, I had the address, my trusty phone, and enough cash to pay for the parking for all three days ($1.20 and hour? People live their lives this way?). I programmed my phone but didn't turn it on until Baker Road to save energy and data.
This is where things got complicated. My phone informed me that there was an accident ahead and asked if I wanted to switch to alternate route that would save me an estimated twenty minutes. It gave me just enough warning to get into the left lane before traffic did, as my phone predicted, come to a halt. While on my detour, however, my phone went a little crazy and did not inform me of the exit that I needed to take until after I had passed it. Thus, I had to swing all the way around the north side of Ann Arbor and approach my destination from the east. More construction and confusion ate up more than the twenty minutes that I would have saved. I also didn't take into account how long parking and finding walking directions to my intended destination would take. Thus, I was hustling to the classroom where the conference is to take place barely before it was supposed to begin.
I found the correct classroom only to see no continental breakfast, a far smaller turnout than I expected, and no sign of the colleague who was going to join me. Something was wrong. There was a group of no more than ten women in the room sitting in a rough circle. I decided to open the door anyway. Doing so, I heard a women, whom I assume was the seminar's leader, say, "As you have read in your packets, this is a closed session." All eyes fell on me. I gave an embarrassed look and said, "I'm looking for the conference on cities?" Yes, I turned my statement into a question in the face of the blank stares in my direction. One women offered, "Maybe it's downstairs?"
I thanked them and walked into the hall, reaffirming that I had the correct room number. I then double checked one of the three emails I have received about this conference since Friday. Yep, I am an idiot. The conference is June 18-20. Seriously. I drove for over an hour (and had a separate but similar "fun" experience on my way back) to barely get to a conference on the wrong day.
The thing is that I've been saying that this conference is the 17th through the 19th since I signed up for it. I wouldn't have registered if I knew it was going to be on a Friday. Somehow, my mind has managed to blind me of the correct date through all of the paperwork, discussions, and messages that I have had regarding this conference. It has really thrown both my day and my week off.
Oh well. As my brother-in-law said: Welcome to your forties.
Unfortunately, I had a relapse just today. In truth, it turns out that I've been slipping for the past month, but today I found myself face-to-face with the consequences.
About a month ago, I was asked if I was interested in attending a three day conference that discusses teaching world history by looking at how cities have both changed and stayed the same over time. Now, due to a recent Michigan law, I no longer have to attend these sorts of conferences to keep my teaching certificate, but the concept sounded interesting and the conference only cost $45 for the three days (including lunch and a continental breakfast).
I have been planning my first full week of summer break around this conference. Yesterday, I was to spend getting my writing space ready (the subject of yesterday's post), today through Thursday (the 17th through the 19th) I was to spend at the conference, and Friday I was to run the Savage Tides campaign.
Now, the conference is at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, a place with which I am not well acquainted. Thankfully, I had the address, my trusty phone, and enough cash to pay for the parking for all three days ($1.20 and hour? People live their lives this way?). I programmed my phone but didn't turn it on until Baker Road to save energy and data.
This is where things got complicated. My phone informed me that there was an accident ahead and asked if I wanted to switch to alternate route that would save me an estimated twenty minutes. It gave me just enough warning to get into the left lane before traffic did, as my phone predicted, come to a halt. While on my detour, however, my phone went a little crazy and did not inform me of the exit that I needed to take until after I had passed it. Thus, I had to swing all the way around the north side of Ann Arbor and approach my destination from the east. More construction and confusion ate up more than the twenty minutes that I would have saved. I also didn't take into account how long parking and finding walking directions to my intended destination would take. Thus, I was hustling to the classroom where the conference is to take place barely before it was supposed to begin.
I found the correct classroom only to see no continental breakfast, a far smaller turnout than I expected, and no sign of the colleague who was going to join me. Something was wrong. There was a group of no more than ten women in the room sitting in a rough circle. I decided to open the door anyway. Doing so, I heard a women, whom I assume was the seminar's leader, say, "As you have read in your packets, this is a closed session." All eyes fell on me. I gave an embarrassed look and said, "I'm looking for the conference on cities?" Yes, I turned my statement into a question in the face of the blank stares in my direction. One women offered, "Maybe it's downstairs?"
I thanked them and walked into the hall, reaffirming that I had the correct room number. I then double checked one of the three emails I have received about this conference since Friday. Yep, I am an idiot. The conference is June 18-20. Seriously. I drove for over an hour (and had a separate but similar "fun" experience on my way back) to barely get to a conference on the wrong day.
The thing is that I've been saying that this conference is the 17th through the 19th since I signed up for it. I wouldn't have registered if I knew it was going to be on a Friday. Somehow, my mind has managed to blind me of the correct date through all of the paperwork, discussions, and messages that I have had regarding this conference. It has really thrown both my day and my week off.
Oh well. As my brother-in-law said: Welcome to your forties.
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