Just weeks away

I have heard students here and there mentioning the between-semesters holiday and talking about how it was about 3 weeks long (depending on when they fininsh exams). I noticed on Facebook today that one student announced rather ecstatically that the "3 week holidays" have begun. I have always felt that the start of semester 2 was very far away from now, so was feeling quite puzzled that it was supposedly only 3 weeks away. So I checked my calendar.

And it is 3 weeks away!

Oh my goodness! How was I under the impression that the start of Semester 2 was still a fair way away?? I'm quite shocked at how time flies and you don't even know it. This just means that I have another 2 weeks before I fly off to Sydney!

I am definately heading to Wollongong for the International Social Marketing Conference. The paper is finished and submitted and I'm in the process of preparing my presentation slides. I've been put into the "Work in Progress" stream, which doesn't bother me too much because it is a wip and feedback would be absolute gold. I don't know anyone else going to the conference apart from one Professor from New Zealand (a fellow cat-lover, but I don't know if she remembers me) and a PhD student also from New Zealand. I'm sure she would remember me because she was at my roundtable at ANZMAC and we chatted a few times during that conference. It actually doesn't bother me so much that I'm going alone. Strange.

I'm really looking forward to this conference, but I haven't registered which worries me a little. Must make a trip to finance and get them to do it for me asap. I don't think it would be too much of an issue (registering this late). I think it will be a good conference, 'cos the organisers this year are really, really good.

Damien is meeting me in Sydney after my conference, where we are spending 3.5 days there. I'm looking forward to that too! We have plans to meet up with my friend Kirsty, who I met in Dunedin (lovely girl), and do a little sightseeing and overall relaxing!

To do before I go:

1. Focus group guide
2. Partner organisation research application (sigh)
3. Sending research application to PO (which will be interesting cos my liaison is on holiday)
4. Exam marking (eeks!)
5. Presentation slides
6. Editing other conference paper
7. Ethics application submission