Paper Horrors

Well, today's the day I've been dreading ever since my paper got accepted for the regional SBL conference. The conference took place at the Marriott Hotel by the DFW airport, so Dr. and Mrs. Wolfe, Donald and I headed up there about 1:30 for my 3:00 presentation. We wanted to be able to hear the paper before mine and get an idea of the ethos in the room before I stood up to present. Well, when we got there, I decided I'd better go to the restroom (of course) before we went in the room. Bad idea, because I couldn't get my trousers zipped back up!!! And it wasn't because they're too tight. I tried and tried, and eventually said in a small voice, "Mrs. Wolfe, are you still in here?" I ended up handing her the trousers for her to try and work with the zipper, and she couldn't get it to come up, even with them off of me (that's how I know it wasn't my weight that's the issue). The zipper would come up halfway and then get stuck. What do I do? I was panicking. So she went to the front desk of the hotel and got black thread and a needle, and basically sewed me in them! From that point on I rationed my water, because I couldn't go back to the restroom! I was so embarassed. These are my brand new trousers that go with the suit I got for Christmas, and this is the first time I wore them! Needless to say, I'm getting a new zipper (and I should probably try to lose a bit of weight too, even if that wasn't the primary issue today!). I was so thankful Mrs. Wolfe decided to go along. I don't know what I would have done without her!

Anyway, other than that, the presentation went well, I think. I read the paper, and then the session chair called for questions. Nobody responded. So finally Dr. Wolfe said "Rodney, surely you have a question" (to a gentleman I later found out is the dean of a college and is working in Revelation as well). So he asked a rather unformed question, and I did my best to answer. I fielded a couple of other questions and then we were done.

After a stop at Marble Slab for ice cream on the way home, I came home, cut myself out of the offending trousers, and got ready to work on the next paper (after I finish this post, of course). My paper for my James seminar is due by Good Friday, and so I'm frantically trying to wade my way through the massive amounts of notes and collect my thoughts enough to write a coherent paper on the use of the Old Testament in James. Not an easy topic! I'm just looking forward to the end of this week, when my papers will be behind me, I can enjoy the rest of Spring, and I can take care of all the things I've been putting off as I've been writing. I'm anxious for Friday to get here, but the faster the time goes in the meantime, the less time that means I have to write!