The Wednesday Before the Thursday

I get on a plane tomorrow. This is just about the only thought in my head right now!

But before I get on the plane, I will be going to a presentation regarding women’s rights tomorrow. I am looking forward to meeting the people and seeing the city again. I will try to meet a friend of a friend, who works in the building where we will be presenting. I figured out that planning ahead doesn’t always work: this is the third time I have tried to connect with this man, and so far I have struck out. But the third time’s the charm. My section also will be making a presentation next Monday, but, of course, I won’t be able to be there – I will be HOME!

Not much went on today; I got some e-mails from my students, a couple of whom asked me to correct their grammar. Can you imagine? A student who wants to be corrected? It’s de-lovely!

Tonight, as I was preparing to write this entry, I heard a huge explosion. Of course, I was terrified until I remembered that I had read an e-mail regarding some controlled explosions and range shooting that was going to be going on over the next few days. I hoped that the boom was from the controlled detonations, but I thought I should probably take a look. As I stepped out into the hall, I saw our security guy – not Huge or Ferocious, but a nice person just the same – looking out the door. I thought that was either a really good sign – that nothing was going on – or a really bad sign – that he didn’t know if anything was going on. I asked him whether I should be worried, and he kind of shrugged and said, “Well, the sirens aren’t going off, so it’s probably nothing.” Hoping for something more definite regarding my safety, I stood and looked at him for a while as he continued to look out the door. He said again, “Well, the sirens aren’t going off, so it’s probably nothing.” I mentioned reading about the explosions, and he said, ‘Well, that was far away, so it’s probably nothing.”

Giving up, I went back in my room. After a while, I thought I heard something else, and so I stuck my head out in the hall again. He was going out the door. I asked if we had any more information on the big boom. He said, “Oh, yeah. It was a controlled det. No worries.” I assumed that meant “controlled detonation.” Then I went back in my room and said a silent “thank you” to Huge and Ferocious, who came to my door to tell me that we were going to hear some explosions and not to be worried, and who came to my door to tell me that we were under a threat but not to worry because they would take care of me.

I have to admit that when I heard the boom, my first thought was about how I was going to get to the airport tomorrow if we were on lockdown. I think I would have tried to walk.

Enough for tonight. I am going to try to get some sleep so that when I have to stay up for hours on end tomorrow, I can do it. What a time to have run out of Jameson!

I will be writing from home over the next week and a half. I hope I have something to say. So until Friday!