I found out this week when the European defense is, that I will be an external examiner for. December 1. No problem, except for the fact that I am returning from a family Thanksgiving vacation on Nov 30th.
At 2:00 pm.
That means the only way for me to make this all work out is if I fly in with my family, say goodbye to my wife and daughter as they drive home and hop on a red eye to Europe. The best available flight gets into my destination just before 10:00 am on the 1st and the defense is at 2:00 pm that afternoon.
Oh, and did I mention that it's in a non-English language?
My ability to sleep on a plane is drastically hampered by my height, so I should be good and sleep deprived with a solid helping of jet lag. I'm guessing that falling asleep during a defense that one is an external for is bad form. Is there enough coffee in the world to keep me awake for this? Hard to say.
1 day ago
oh, sounds a bit gruesome but doable.... maybe see if you can upgrade to first class? I mean, I know it is silly expensive but boy I think even you being a tall man an sleep in the foldoutsleepingchairs... good luck though! (and I am a bit curious if it is in Scandinavia? Sometimes they like the external examiner to give a smaller seminar on the topic of the dissortation. Surely they would've told you that n ow though.)
ReplyDeleteI think it'll be alright, but I may not be in top form for the talk. I am giving a lecture later in the week, but it is not on the same topic as the defense.
ReplyDeleteUgh.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of a former colleague who got off a flight from the Caribbean (where he'd just got married) and straight onto another one to India (for a work trip). He said "it wasn't as bad as it sounds - after I checked in for the India flight, I had time for a shower and a cry at the airport".
But that European coffee is soo strong! :)
ReplyDeleteGah - that sounds awful! Should be doable as long as the plane isn't delayed :S
ReplyDeleteCan you get a hold of some Halcion tablets. Down one and snooze like a baby for like 4 hours on the flight and you'll be good to go. I did it on a flight to South America and was feeling pretty fresh when I stepped off the plane.
ReplyDeleteEmergency Exit Row seats have slightly more leg room. Hopefully, you have plenty of sleep-inducing turkey leftovers with you!! jc
ReplyDeleteI always get aisle seats on the big-ass jumbos but I'm not very tall and can almost get horizontal on one seat. Ask for a seat on an exit row or if you're on a big-ass jumbo get a seat behind the bulkhead near the galley.
ReplyDeleteAnd keep your fingers crossed that you don't have any hitches with your connecting flights on the way.
I try and get the exit aisle seats but some airlines are now booking them ahead of time, just charging more for them. Maybe I will just book it ahead of time and eat the extra cost for some comfort.
ReplyDeleteI just have one flight between vacation and home, then one connection between home and European destination. That shouldn't be too ugly, I'm hoping. Of course, with my travel luck....
One of my committee members fell asleep during the seminar part of my defense. And it was in a really small room, and he was sitting *right* next to me. I was too nervous to be insulted at the time, and now I just find it funny.
ReplyDeleteI will provide a poking stick that can be used by other committee members or the candidate, should I succumb to sleeping.
ReplyDelete