SF successes and mishaps

Quick update on the San Francisco adventure:

1. Road trip: excellent. Quite fast and very easy with my travelling companions. We visited Eugene (amazing little place, very funky), stayed in Canyonville (even more cool and hip though itsy bitsy), and made it to San Francisco on time, as planned. Ultra chill.
   
2. San Francisco is beautiful and we've had fabulous weather - sunny and blue skies. Haven't done anything ultra touristy yet except walk around Fisherman's Wharf, walk down the crookedest street in the world (Lombard St.) and visit Telegraph Hill (didn't spot the famous parrots). We did go to the Mission district for a famous Mission burrito last night. Holy crap. The BEST EVER. Ok, that's actually a fair amount of touristy stuff.
   
3. Conference: The San Fran Five delivered an excellent panel yesterday, if I can say so myself. We had an audience around 20 at its peak and 10 by the end (that's normal). I thought everyone was confident and presented very well.
   
4. Mishap 1: I lost Rocco's digital camera when leaving our session. Suffice it to say that I'm feeling immense guilt and have been harassing the hotel Lost and Found regularly.
   
5. Mishap 2: While searching for the missing camera I managed to also miss the conference session that included Nigel Thrift, a professor I've been really looking forward to meet in person. The room was packed well beyond capacity and there was no way one more person was getting into the space.
   
6. Mishap 3: I ran into the co-supervisor of my Master's in an elevator and asked if she would like to find time for a quick coffee. We had been e-mailing amicably lately and promised each other some time at the AAG. She shut me down point blank with a simple "No." I then rode an extra 17 floors of elevator time with her and her partner because I didn't realise the elevator was headed up when I climbed on. Awkward, humiliating, etc. She's now Number One on the blacklist of the San Fran Five. My co-presenters have a plan to humiliate her in return this afternoon by attending her presentation and loudly, rudely, walking out in a huff when she begins to speak. Ha!
7. Mishap 4: Maybe this is less of a mishap and more of a regular disheartening event, but I just got news of my latest round of SSHRC applications and I've been rejected, again. No moola for me. I should maybe quit this academic bullshit now to protect myself from more weeks like this one.
   

Feeling kind of low, as you can imagine, but I'm planning some shopping therapy to revive myself. We have reservations at an awesome-sounding restaurant tonight, all veg all the time. I'm looking forward to that and to the accompanying wine. Also planning a run with two friends this afternoon that will include running back and forth across the Golden Gate Bridge. Yay!

Call me manic for this week has already been a rollercoaster.