Ok so I am at a really prestigious international conference in London (1000+ participants) 273 sessions (with 4/5 papers each) for the first time :-). And my son is starting senior school and I am not going to be there. :-(
My presentation is written, I have lots of nice pictures (entirely suitable for my subject), I am on in first timeslot on first day so come down the day before and stay in hall of residence to be ready nice and early, I know what I am going to wear (smart casual but comfy including flat shoes), I don't have a drink night before so I will be bright eyed and bushy tailed. :-)

Reality is
1. there is singing (yes really) in the quad of the halls until 12.30am so I don't get much sleep.
:-s
2. I get to the session early but no-one there so didn't like to mess with computer :-(
3. Conveynors arrive about 15 minutes early - every one loads there slides onto the computer except mine is not on my memory stick - I hadn't saved it. :$
4. Mad panic run back to hall of residence to get it, run back (sweaty and flushed by now) :$

[That's the LOWS]

Do presentation - I managed to field all the questions (although some were - "well as I said I am at the very early stages so I will bear that in mind when I am developing my methodology") get some good suggestions of contacts. ,-)
[That's kind of NEUTRAL I think]

Went to more sessions (relaxed as the pressure is off) (including a workshop on writing for journals which made me feel more confident about writing - esp as I have a couple of things that with a bit of tweaking I can submit pretty quickly :-) ), asked some questions, met very eminent person who is to be our new external examiner (and got on v. well with him) :-)

Met up with my Head of Department (another neutral aspect) and some people he knew - one of them edits a prestigious journal in my field and asks me to write a paper for it (after he realises that I wasn't joking when I told him what my PhD research is about :-x
), another person from same uni asks me to give a research seminar and two eminent people (husband and wife but different unis) turn out to have children at the school my son is going to. :-)

So after a crappy start :-( (and as Head of dept wasn't there I haven't told him about my incompetence) I feel really positive - got a couple of ideas for one journal (after the workshop), been asked to write for another and give a research seminar and got more ideas on methodology from sessions I have been to. And there's still another day to go.

Oh and my son ran off without saying goodbye to my husband as he spotted his mate and he has had a great day and was as interested to know about my day as I was about his.
:-x

A rocky start Jepson but it sounds like you rallied in style! Being asked to contribute to so many things is fantastic, you've made great contacts already :-)

Really glad your son got a good start too, sounds like time for a family celebration.(gift)

Ahhh!!! maybe I'm just extremely tired, but I'm so pleased everything went well! I did ok until the last line about your son running off to school which made me cry a little! :$

I hope you have a brilliant last day at the conference, sounds like it's going great and you've got loads of motivation and enthusiasm! And plenty to do of course! (up)

Sounds like a real rollercoaster of a day :-) Excellent news on the contacts and the paper. They say this game is all about networking and you're showing that in style!

Awww at your son... its hard when you miss the first day, but I think we build it up more than they do :-) I cried buckets the days my kids went to pre-school, then to infant school, then to junior school, don't even go there with secondary school, and I even shed a bit of a tear last week when my daughter went to college. This time next year I'll be facing my son leaving home to go to uni (argghhhhhhhhhh :'( ) Lol at him rushing off though and so glad he had a good time :-)

Sounds like a very positive day overall and one to be very pleased with! Well done (up)