Convalescence? Nah--Conference!

So, the good people at the ER told me in no uncertain terms: Elevate. Ice. Crutch-it-up. Driving and unnecessary weight-bearing is not conducive to the healing process. Be a good girl.

I took this to mean: If you can find supportive shoes in your closet, wrap that dang foot up and go about your life. Crutches optional if you can manage without them.

So that is what I did: Because here's the facts--I had places to go! The Pennsylvania Music Educator's Conference was calling, and I was supposed to be there. I did, however, realize that driving myself to Pittsburgh and back was probably not a wise idea and so I gladly hopped (hobbled) into the car with these lovely ladies and our poster-presenting paraphernalia.
We took a mandatory McDonald's pit stop, because what is a road trip without fast food?

[I found that I actually enjoyed my bacon egg & cheese bagel, but maybe that's because I was inexplicably so hungry...]

We arrived in Pittsburgh in no time at all.

We set up our posters, because the only reason we were there was that our work had been accepted for the "poster session".
Now, let me tell you something about poster sessions:
They really are quite silly.

You stand next to the poster that took you 36 to 48 hours to make for exactly 1 hour. You avoid the eyes of the people who walk near you, because you are unsure if they just want to look, or if they want you to spout off everything you did in your study while their eyes glaze over.


It is awkward.
And yet, we Penn Staters know how to turn silly-awkward situations into silly-fun situations. It is one of our gifts.
So...

...we engaged in a small photo shoot while waiting for our spectators to meander over near us.




















[We had plenty of time, as no one seemed all that interested in our wing of things]

[I only ended up talking to one guy outside of my department through the whole thing...]




















[he at least seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say....]

[and asked questions that implied he had stood in my shoes himself, and was trying to redeem the situation...]

[I appreciated that my 6 hours in the car that day were not for naught, because I think I changed his life with my scholarship.]

Before catching my ride back,

I took a moment to reflect on the fact that I was returning to a sea of I have so much to do.

It's that time of year kids, but guess what?

It's my LAST season of end-of-semester class work EVER.

And, since my foot is feeling better by now, I'm kicking up my heels with glee.

Join me--it's fun ;-)