In The Middle of the Night (Middle of the Night), I Go Writing This Damn Talk...

[anarchist_nomad]

Friday night. Just got back from the opening of the Oxford University Astronomy Weekend. Lots of familiar faces that remember me from last year. In just over twelve hours, I present my lecture for this year -- Recent Developments in Cosmic Rays.

The talk, which I estimate will be able forty slides, is just over half written. Oi! It is going to be a long night[*].

I am supposed to be a reasonably smart guy. You would think that, after all these years, I would know how to not stay up until stupid o'clock in the morning the night before giving a talk.

Ironically, last year I was nervous because I had never delivered a lecture to this sort of audience before, nor had I delivered a talk of any type at Oxford. This year I am nervous because last year went so amazingly well... and I find myself wondering if I can live up to my own example.

Ah, well. Time to press on. Last year, I finished writing by about two o'clock in the morning and managed to get five hours of sleep. Let's see if I can do the same tonight[**]...

ETA: Nearly one thirty in the morning now. Thirty-five slides down. Probably about six more to go. I won't be finished by two -- that much is certain. Still, I am also starting to feel good about this lecture, which is a very nice feeling. Also, I still have one more energy drink in reserve.

EFTA: Ten minutes to three now. Forty slides down. Three to go, I think. cheshcat has been wonderful -- she fixed me a snack (cheese, humous, and crackers[***]) and surprised me by buying five energy drinks when I only requested two. So I still have three left in reserve. She has been taking terrific care of me. It makes me think fondly of when I was an undergraduate, fourteen years ago, and she would take similarly good care of me when I was up all night writing a paper -- then edit the paper when I was finished! With any luck, I will be done in an hour or so and get get four hours to sleep. The talk itself is either turning out better than I expected... or I am too tired to tell the difference. I think it is the former, though...

ESFTA: Four thirty in the morning. Finished. Forty-three slides. Whee! Time to sleep. Should be able to get nearly four hours if I wake up in time to listen to the talk before mine; five and a half if I do not. We shall see. All I need is rest (or caffeine) to get me through this and I should be alright. It is a good lecture.

---

[*] As I type this, my darling cheshcat is taking a stroll to the corner store to pick me up a couple of cans of energy drink. I am loved.

[**] Any comments that you can make, gentle readers, would be greatly appreciated. Especially those of you in the States who are likely still awake. I may not have time to respond to them tonight, but they will bring a smile to my face as they break the monotony. If you truly have no idea what to say, just sing me songs of cheese.

[***] As we all know, cheese is love!

Comments

[blaisepascal]

Good luck, good writing, and post the slides and notes to the web, will ya? I'm interested in recent developments in cosmic rays.

[anarchist-nomad.livejournal.com]

Thank you, kind sir.

About thirty slides down now, with another ten to go.

I shall sleep tonight... the question is simply: How much shall I sleep?

[tawneypup.livejournal.com]

Think of rays, think of them fondly,
While you write your talk,
Remember that science is fun now,
And don't get writer's block!

When it's done you'll have to do your talk,
then you'll relax and can be free
And when you find that moment,
spare a thought for me.

(to the tune of "Think of Me" from Phantom, of course)

*hugs* Good luck, honey! You're going to be great! I have faith in you!

[anarchist-nomad.livejournal.com]

(to the tune of "Think of Me" from Phantom, of course)

Of course! (Indeed, I am mildly worried that you thought you needed to tell me that!)

What an fantastic song to work by, Sweetheart! Thank you! You have brought many smiles (and several minutes of procrastination) into my evening! Awesome!

*big smiles*

You are awesome, and I love you! And you shall indeed be getting some of my spare thoughts come mid-day tomorrow! *grin*

[tawneypup.livejournal.com]

Of course! (Indeed, I am mildly worried that you thought you needed to tell me that!)

I figured I didn't need to but just in case your brain was in physics mode and not musical mode I thought I'd help ya out.

*smiles* Yay for smiles! Down with procrastination! You should be thinking about cosmic rays, right?

Can you hear those cosmic rays?
Winging their way from outer space,
they are the entergetic particles our atmosphere modulates!
When the heavy nuclei interact strong with earthly gas,
there's a shower about to start and the muons come!

Ummm...yeah. Please excuse the non-physics person's lame attempt at physics songs. All I know about cosmic rays I learned from wikipedia. Heh.

*kissssssssssssssssssss*

Q.T. - Can you hear them?

[prolificdiarist.livejournal.com]

Ooh, best of luck lovely.

*lots of supportive hugs*

All you need is cheese, cheese; cheese is all you need...

What's cheese got to do, got to do with it?

This tainted cheese you've given
I give you all a boy could give you
Take my tears and that's not nearly all
Oh...tainted cheese
Tainted cheese

Kx

[anarchist-nomad.livejournal.com]

*big hugs*

Thank you, sweetie! That's several smiles in one night! You're good! ;-)

By the way, following up on one of your songs:

What's cheese got to do, got to do with it?
What's cheese but a second hand emulsion?

*grin*

Hope you're having a good evening, oh newly liberated one!

[prolificdiarist.livejournal.com]

Hehehe, yay!

Sounds like you are making good progress, btw, so well done!

I'm unwisely staying up when sleep would be a much less foolish idea. So much internet, so little time...! And, ooh, I like that title! I think the next time someone asks me what I do for a living I will say, Freedom!

Kx

[jeneralist.livejournal.com]

The Cheese Boat!
Soon will be making another run...
The Cheese Boat!
Something in store for everyone...

[anarchist-nomad.livejournal.com]

Thank you, my dear! Have I told you lately how much you rock??

P.S. Apropos to nothing, I would like to have a poly conversation with you at some point. The kind of advanced level talks that we've had from time to time. Nothing urgent. Just want to bounce some things off somebody else who has had eons of experience, y'know? Maybe drop me an e-mail and we can figure out a good time to chat in the not-too-distant future?

P.P.S. Please pass a warm hello on to the rest of the awesome crew at Asylum for me, k?

*hugs and cuddles*

i can't stop

[winewiskeywomen.livejournal.com]

You'd think that people would have had enough of silly cheese songs
I look around me and I see it isn't so
Some people wanna fill the world with silly cheese songs
And what's wrong with that?
I'd like to know
'cause here I go again
I cheese you, I cheese you
I cheese you, I cheese you

I can't explain the feeling's plain to me; can't you see?
Ah, she gave me more, she gave it all to me now can't you see?
What's wrong with that?
I need to know
'cause here I go again
I cheese you, I cheese you

Cheese doesn't come in a minute
Sometimes it doesn't come at all
I only know that when I'm in it
It isn't silly, cheese isn't silly, cheese isn't silly at all



How can I tell you about my cheesed one?
(I cheese you)
How can I tell you about my cheesed one?
(I cheese you)



I cheese you
(I can't explain the feeling's plain to me, say can't you see?)
I cheese you
(Ah, he gave me all, he gave it all to me to me, say can't you see?)
I cheese you
(I can't explain the feeling's plain to me, say can't you see?)
How can I tell you about my cheesed one?
(Ah, he gave me all, he gave it all to me to me say can't you see?)




You'd think that people would have had enough of silly cheese songs
I look around me and I see it isn't so, oh no
Some people wanna fill the world with silly cheese songs
What's wrong with that?

Re: i can't stop

[anarchist-nomad.livejournal.com]

*grin* Thanks, KB!

You know, I had already thought of that as a good cheese song -- indeed, it inspired the name of the Silly Cheese Song Project. However, I somehow managed to not think the song all the way through. As such, I had missed how lovely one of the middle verses is:

Cheese doesn't come in a minute
Sometimes it doesn't come at all
I only know that when I'm in it
It isn't silly, cheese isn't silly, cheese isn't silly at all

That's excellent! Thank you for bringing it to my attention!

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

Cheese, cheese me, do;
You know I cheese you;
I'll always be true,
So pleeeeeeaaase....
Cheese me do!

[bunnypip.livejournal.com]

Go you!

Glad it's finished. Good luck with the presenting of it.

Well done for hammering those pentacles into shape.

xxx

[anarchist-nomad.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Love!

One project down... six more that are ongoing. Let's see if I can't beat one of them into shape this coming week...

xxx

[prolificdiarist.livejournal.com]

Yay, well done!

Kx

[anarchist-nomad.livejournal.com]

*takes a very flamboyant boy*

Thank you, my dear!

(And thanks again for the middle-of-the-night encouragement. I enjoy giving lectures -- and I think that I do quite a good job of it -- but I really dislike the process of actually putting a talk together. Hence the perennial procrastination!)

*hugs and snuggles*

[bunnypip.livejournal.com]

You meant "bow", yes? I mean ... I know you _are_ a very flamboyant boy, but ...

[anarchist-nomad.livejournal.com]

Exactly! That's how I know that there are certain things that it takes a very flamboyant boy to do... ;-)