My bag went up, but hasn't come down.

Well things are looking up, I am sitting in my dorm room in Paris with my foot elevated and a $3 bottle of the best Bordeaux I’ve ever had. I still haven’t gotten my bag, even though it has been in the country for a day and a half, but the only thing I really miss is the ibuprofen.

It all started when I got switched between four flights on three different airlines in PDX, before I even left the ground. I ended up getting to Paris at about my scheduled time, but my bag was hopelessly left behind. That’s what I get for checking a bag, which I only checked so I could bring my Leatherman along. It did make getting to the conference check-in a lot more leisurely. The only problem was that the number I had given Air France went to an office that isn’t open in the summer, and the address goes to a door that is locked, with no one around. So far that hasn’t actually mattered since they haven’t even tried delivering my bag, it was weighing heavy on my mind, until I finally managed to figure out how to call them today. I found out yesterday at 6 o’clock that phone cards are sold at the post office which is closed all day today for Bastille Day. Then I found out I could get one at a Tobacco shop. Of course, a tobacco shop. Can’t believe I didn’t think of that.

So the whole, not having a bag thing wasn’t that big a deal until I found out yesterday morning, about 20 minutes after the conference started that I was supposed to speak in the afternoon. Now how, you ask could I not know I was supposed to present at a conference I submitted an abstract to? Because I am a rube. To my credit, they never actually said that my abstract was accepted, but I hear now that no one is rejected. I am a rube because when I looked at the schedule, just to check if I was on it, I saw a huge list of 45 people, that I thought were talks. It turns out they were just the session chairs, ie. the people that run the different sections of the conference. I found myself on the schedule, which was buried 3 url’s deep, at about 10:30 AM and I was presenting at 3:30. So I, of course, ignored the entire morning of talks, while I busily worked on my talk, on a computer that didn’t have a power cord, since I am in Paris without an adapter. That’s right, picture it. I have about 1:30 hours of battery time left on my computer for a talk that I haven’t really put together and I think I might have to present on said computer. To boot, I had to go back to the dorm room to get my USB drive(in case I could present on another computer) and my projector connection thingy (in case it had to be on my computer) and then go to another venue across town, all while limping around on my bum cankle.

Oh yeah, did I mention I twisted my ankle while Steph’s parents were in town- bad. I thought it was getting better, but after standing around waiting for the plane and then walking all over Paris, it has gotten worse again. I also can’t find any ibuprofen; the pharmacies are closed or only sell shampoo and the grocery stores don’t have it. Granted I haven’t actually asked anybody, but it has been pretty far down on the list.

Anyway, back to the talk. So I waste some of lunch trying to figure out how to call about my bag, some of it finishing up my talk, and the rest running back to my room, getting the things I need and taking a quick shower (remember I am in the same clothes I have been in for three days!) I get to the Paris Observatory, where the schedule says my talk is, only to find out that it is actually listed wrong and is back at UNESCO, where we were in the morning. It is 2:30. So I hobble my way over to the Metro and get over to UNESCO and through security. When I get there, it turns out it is actually in the UNESCO annex which is 6 blocks away. It is 3:10. So I hobble over to the annex, go through security again and basically roll in at 3:30, which was 5 minutes early since they are running late. I am sweaty, tired, out of breathe and my cankle looks like it should be attached to the elephant man. I walk up to the podium of an international conference in Paris wearing Chaco’s and a sweaty raft guide snap shirt. It actually worked out. My talk seemed warmly received and I had some decent questions asked of me.

That was yesterday. I have been enjoying the wine and good food since then, and I even went and got some new clothes, which Air France pays for (up to 100 euros), since they delayed my bags. I am meeting Nico’s cousin who is going to show me around tonight via bike tour and restaurant.

This post should have been posted last week, but I haven't had good web access until now.