Diary of a Slow Traveler – Conference trip to California

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This morning was our last coffee with our daughter before we depart for a quick trip to the USA.

I was successful in having the paper I wrote based on my Honours Thesis accepted into two conferences in California. I was so surprised as it never occurred to me that a paper based based on Honours Research would be accepted into a leading management conference. it made the time spent reformatting it whilst we were in Siracuse very worthwhile.

My desk - Siracuse, Sicily

My desk – Siracuse, Sicily

 

 

 

 

My research area was Small Family Wine Businesses, For some reason this was of interest to the organisers of 2 conferences and not just me, my long suffering supervisor and 2 very generous examiners! It gives me some hope that my PhD which I expect will extend this research may also be of interest to others.

In recent weeks the pressure has been on to get take my paper and convert its content into 2 short presentations. No easy feat I have to say and confirms one of my favourite quotes

I didn’t have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long one instead     
– Mark Twain

My original thesis was about 20,000 words and the conference submission reduced this to 8000 and now my 2 presentations Continue reading →

Time Pressure – The Clock is Ticking

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Old Town Hall & Astrological Clock - Prague

Old Town Hall & Astrological Clock – Prague

Since leaving my life as a professional I seem to have had time but not at the moment.

In the last couple of weeks I have felt the pressure of the clock. For the first time since I embarked on “What’s Next”, I have felt the constant pressure of the ticking of the clock.

I am about to hit my first progress report for my PhD with a half written proposal. It seemed such a long way off when I started this journey in early March. Then there is preparing papers to present at two conferences  in California in early August. The deadline for these is just days away.

Our short trip to California for these conferences looms large. We leave in 7 days. I feel far from the relaxed self that The Diary of a Slow Traveler has portrayed. Our recent travels have given us the opportunity to luxuriate in our travel plans, selecting accommodation and places to visit. Not this time! Bookings through a travel agent and all the restrictions that come with that. Time constraints necessitating just 2 weeks away and then being tied to conference locations which not unpleasant are far from what I’d describe as the life of a Slow Traveler.

Perhaps the most interesting has been the realization that in recent weeks I haven’t had time for my blog. Each time I have thought about a post, I’ve had the clock ticking in the background and the ever present feeling that I don’t have time for this. So annoying!

I feel quite guilty grabbing the 15 minutes to write this post – tick, tick, tick

 

Big Ben - London

Big Ben – London

 

 

 

 

What great memories – Peter Endersbee RIP

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It was with great sadness that I read today of the death of Peter Endersbee.

Peter Endersbee was a member of the Sturt Football Club at a time when they were near unbeatable.  He was an important part of my early life, one of my many football heroes in the team that I supported through a period of near unprecedented success.

From 1966 to 1970 Sturt won 5 Premierships in the SANFL.

Under their master coach Jack Oatey, Sturt introduced handball as an attacking tool in Australian Rules Football. I know Ron Barassi is always given that accolade, but I suspect he saw it used to devastating advantage in end of season game between Sturt and Carlton and as the then VFL was the senior league, his promulgation of it is why he is given such credit. For those of us who support Sturt, I think we all believe something different!

It was in the 1968 SANFL Grand Final that Peter Endersbee became famous Continue reading →

It’s Negroni not coffee this week

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Negroni – Second Valley style

Well this week we won’t be sharing a coffee rather it will be a Negroni! After all,it is Negroni week .

Negronis have become our drink of choice. A wonderful aperitif that doesn’t seem to be climate dependent. Whether at home, at the beach (Second Valley) in a local bar or somewhere on our travels they have been a highlight. In Australia they are carefully measured, unless you having one of my homemade versions, whereas in many of the bars we sampled them in Italy it was a “glug” of Gin, Campari and Vermouth making them all the more special.

After a Negroni or two the conversation often becomes obtuse. For example – unusual words in songs.

“moot” in Rick Springfield’s Jessy’s Girl – surely a little sophisticated for a song like this?

“gavotte” in Carly Simon’s Your so Vain – Carly Simon in Variety discusses why she used the word which means a French dance. Continue reading →

Diary of a Slow Traveller – Street Art

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It seems that if you give someone a blank space some one will fill it.

Perhaps since our trip to Berlin and a stroll down the Eastside Gallery I have come to appreciate  a city’s street art.

With Slow Travel there is plenty of time to take it in. I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking

Perhaps Berlin's most famous piece of street art

Perhaps Berlin’s most famous piece of street art

The biggest paste up I have ever seen - Berlin

The biggest paste up I have ever seen – Berlin

What else  do you  put on the wall.

It was almost worth staying on the fifth floor of this hotel with the lifts not working for the funky art.

Jules & Jim Hotel - Paris

Jules & Jim Hotel – Paris

A selection of the street art from our three months in Italy.

This picture seemed so apt. I’d taken a wrong turn in Florence and was confronted with a very angry Pokemon!

Backstreets of Florence

Backstreets of Florence

 

I have posted this elsewhere but perhaps this disused planter box was the epitome of my time in Sicily

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Street art is one of the many delights of Palermo. Continue reading →