I swear there must be another world out there to which I am completely out of tune. A world that ocassionally encroaches into my own hectic little head space, knocks out my inner calm, and sends me into a spin. This morning I receive an email from my colleague in Sweden giving me instructions on my role in the examination of her PhD student. Apparently I have to give a 5 minute talk ("powerpoint would be good"). Fine. Then I have to prepare 5-10 questions to ask the student. No problem (I just hope I don't make the student cry during the inquisition). So far so good (all is manageable...deep breaths. Less than a week before the trip. Try not to panic. Deep breaths. Deep breaths). But then...
"Then we have a coffee break and at 15.30 it's time for your own research seminar. Have you got a title, by the way?"
Ummm..my OWN research seminar? What f%^ing research seminar? My heart sinks. Panicked, I dig through my archives and find a couple of old powerpoint presentations. Hmmm...maybe I can cobble something together. Yes...I have no choice. It'll have to do. Cobble, cobble, cobble... This weekend. Disaster averted. I shall cobble together a brand 'new' talk for my research seminar in front of scary (big wig) colleagues on the other side of the world in less than two weeks. Yes. I'll get onto it as soon as I've finished writing my other seminar in Finland, my 5 minute power point presentation for the thesis exam, formulate my 5-10 questions to grill the PhD student (after I have read her thesis), and marking all those assignment. Yes. No biggie. Inner calm returning. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.
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