Projecting

3 hours writing, 1 hour emailing, page count = 109

Today I worked on translating my conference paper into a presentation. This is surprisingly hard to do. You need to winnow down a complex topic to the most salient points, and figure out how to walk an audience through it in an accessible and interesting way, without the luxury of footnotes or semicolons (a particular addiction of mine). Academic conferences are thrifty, so rather than powerpoint, the default is overheads - yes, those funny plastic transparency things from junior high. Very retro. (Pet peeve #19 is not changing the font size when you create transparencies; trying to read 12-point type from across the room is maddening. )

I also sent my conference paper to the people I'm meeting with this week and next, along with final confirmations of places and times. It's a pretty good lineup, and I'm looking forward to the comments.

I had lunch with an old co-worker, and chatted with a former board member afterward. Job Search 2007 is officially underway! I'm looking for a position as a program officer for a foundation, or with a philanthropic advisory firm. In addition to dissertation-related meetings in Chicago this week, I also have a few that are career-related, reconnecting with former colleagues. Time to start networking, asking for advice from people who have the types of jobs I want, and getting the word out there that I'm looking. Away we go!