The deed is done!

So here I am, sitting at the corner of Sutter and Powell having a croissant and coffee for breakfast as I steal the wireless off some poor unsuspecting soul (sorry!!). San Francisco is a gorgeous city and since it's Sunday, it's nice to see it still tentatively waking up and not bustling and hustling as it's going to be in a couple of hours.

So, I have overcome!

The presentation went flawlessly and it was very very gratifying. SIX people came up to me after to ask me for my paper to read more closely and share it with their students (!), and I got such validating comments from the audience after the presentation too :) This lady said something about supporting my vision, and after I was done, a little Santa-Claus grandpapa of a professor came up and just said, "Good job, keep fighting the good fight." I thought I was going to cry!

And all my friends came to listen to me. It helped so much to see them peeking in from outside the door smiling in encouragment; even my professor came and gave me a thumbs-up! :) So all in all, FABULOUS! I'm happy.

Which is why immediately after, I took a whirlwind tour of SF instead of hanging around the conference. I just wanted to unwind and relax after all that pent-up anxiety (ok, so maybe not so pent-up...) Took a bus to Haight-Ashbury to Amoeba Records, got Jude one of his request records, walked through Golden Gate Park, and bused to Golden Gate Bridge. And omigod, the Bridge is nothing short of breathtaking. NOTHING compared to postcards or apocalyptic disaster films. Simply awesome. Oh, and I saw Alcatraz. My very first frame of reference for Alcatraz was when I watched a David Copperfield special on him attempting to escape from the prison. Of course, I wasn't quite paying attention to the prison then... ;)

Anyways, sitting by the beach for an hour or so after was very very precious. It was nice and cool, kids were playing everywhere, people walking their dogs- just perfect. Made me miss beaches, wide open spaces, and the ocean even more...

Anyways, will be spending the day with Dave & Jen today. I didn't realize how much I've missed them till I heard Jen's exuberant voice yesterday. They're coming into the city and having lunch with me and we'll head over to their place in Mountain View for the rest of the day. Gonna see Jonas, Melanie, Kathy & Adrien tonight too, and I can't wait! :)