German Studies in Phoenix, AZ

Thursday, September 24, 2026

4:59am Open eyes. Curse being awake so early. Decide to embrace consciousness despite the dark. Facebook for half an hour. Temp 49F.

5:32am Get out of bed and spend the best 15 minutes of the day brushing and petting Rosamunda.

6am Run two 10-minute miles and do strength training to a Last Week Tonight episode. Lie on yoga mat to recover. Water the plants.

6:45am Shower and dress.

7:25am Pack toiletries and electronics. Make breakfast. Tidy around the house.

8am Wake up Dear Husband to kiss him goodbye. Review packing list and decide you have probably forgotten something, unsure what yet. 

9am Catch parking lot shuttle to the Pittsburgh International Airport terminal.

10:11am By the time you take your window seat on the plane (17F), have two conversations inspired by the University of Pittsburgh Med-Peds logo on your jacket. Temp 54F.

11:22am Touch down in Detroit. 

11:50am Settle for a salad from Potbelly's.

12:01pm Get distracted by the medical history displays from University of Michigan, which is celebrating its 175th anniversary.

12:32pm Take window seat 40F and eat lunch. Temp 67F.

?pm Attempt to finish reading pre-circulated papers for your seminar but take a nap instead. Snack.

1:40pm Touch down in Phoenix. Temp 80F. Pick up bag and grab a Lyft to the hotel. 

2:45pm Struggle to connect to wifi. Reboot computer. Work.

3:55pm Find my book at the Johns Hopkins University Press table!

4pm Business meeting.

5pm Reception.

6pm Check email. 

7pm Dinner at a South American restaurant with an old friend!

8:30pm Start required electronic health record module.

9pm Give up on staying awake. Temp 81F.

Friday, September 25, 2026

4:13am Give up on staying asleep. Finish module. Do other computer tasks. Temp 81F.

6:40am Now that the hotel restaurant is open for breakfast, shower and dress. Discover that exfoliating hand wash is too harsh and excoriate face in multiple places.

7:45am Decide that none of the first morning sessions are relevant enough to attend. Return to room to help a med student with an abstract on the history of psychiatry and edit/conditionally accept an article manuscript on physicians with disabilities.

10:10am Discussion session on body studies in German history, art, and literature. 

12:15pm Burgers and fries with colleagues from other institutions. Temp 91F.

1:45pm Panel on the internment of civilians during WWI and WWII.

3:45pm Grab-bag panel on German body studies. Temp 95F. (Glass-walled room that didn't appear to be air-conditioned. 🥵)

6pm Redeem drink ticket and then peace-out of the reception in favor of computer work from the lobby whilst slightly buzzed.

7:30pm Awards banquet. 2 friends won awards!

10pm Fall asleep. Temp 85F.

Saturday, September 26, 2026

4:15am Wake up to a full moon put the hotel window. Facebook, computer work, and watch the sun rise until breakfast. Temp 77F. 

7am Omelet for breakfast with a Swiss scholar of smell and the senses.

8am Session on interdisciplinarity on the occasion of the 50th birthday of the German Studies Association (word clouds showing changes in conference keywords below). Temp 79F.

10:10am Present paper.

12pm Group lunch. Temp 97F.

1:49pm Slide into undergraduate student paper panel a little late. Make significant progress on cross-stitch.

3:45pm Skip last panel of the day to swim and read by the pool. Temp 99F.

5:30pm Practice book talk: 46 minutes.

6:30pm Recruit a couple of grad students to Body Studies Network at the reception.

7pm Dinner with one old and one new colleague. Temp 90F.

9pm Edit book talk and slides.

10pm Sleep. Temp 86F.

Sunday, September 27, 2026

4:33am Wake up and roll over.

5:27am Wake up again and Facebook. Temp 79F.

6am Get up and go to gym. Rue not having done this every day. 

7am Hastily shower, dress, and pack.

7:42am Early to first session of the day. Temp 80F.

8am Eat breakfast during roundtable about Hannah Arendt and totalitarianism. Note to self: read the introduction to The Human Condition (1958) and the last 50-60pp of On the Origins of Totalitarianism.

10:10am Last session of our seminar together. 

12:12pm Take Lyft to airport. Buy 1/2-lb box of cactus candy. Watch Cleveland Bengals lose to Pittsburgh Steelers on the waiting lounge television. Temp 95F.

1:15pm Squeeze into seat 15F. Read a chapter, outline an article, lose at Candy Crush. 

5:52pm Land in Tulsa. Meet the professor who is my chauffeur for this trip. Drive 2 hours to Joplin, MO. Temp 79F.

8:09pm Settle into hotel room. Practice book talk (50 minutes). Temp 71F.

10pm Turn off Sunday Night Football. Temp 71F.