all in all, a successful presentation

a timelime of the hours leading up to and including my political violence presentation:

1 week before - spend every minute of my waking life reading
1 day before - spend so much time practicing my speech that i actually start to lose my voice
midnight, night before - get email from other presenter, "damn, these readings suck!"
8:45, monday morning- wake up
9:00- eat a delicious chocolate chip muffin
9:05 - almost puke up delicious muffin
10:00-11:00 - class at Hopkins
11:10 - I learn where the krieger computer lab is (who knew!?!)
11:30 - lunch at silk road with anthony. i consume the largest salad ever.
12:00 - heart palpitations begin
12:30 - shortness of breath, cold sweat
12:35 - encounter with gabe, the ex-bf.
him: hey! long time no see! what have you been up to! (does a great job appearing genuinely delighted)
me: steven david's political violence.
him: well, outside of class.
me: steven david's political violence.
him: are you feeling okay?
me: steven david's political violence.
him: wow, really great talking to you. i better go to "class". (runs away)
12:45 - decide to get to class early so i can meditate a little. 3/4 of the class is already there. do they just sit there all day? is it like some contest to see who can sit closest to steven david?
1:00 - time to start talking! i managed to look up from my paper around two, three times. and i even got in a breath or two in those five minutes!! a rousing success!
1:05 - after convincing everyone that ethnic partitioning is the solution to civil wars, all the indian kids got up and stood in a corner.

phew! what a day!