public speaking

i think that i read somewhere that public speaking is in the top 5 most feared list. right up there with death, flying, spiders, etc. i don't understand the fear of speaking in public. that's not to say that i don't get just as nervous as anyone - but the fear itself is rather irrational. it seems to stem from the worry of being judged by others. or maybe it's just that everyone's attention is focused on you, the speaker. or at least, i like to pretend that's true. but i've been to enough talks, lectures, classes, etc. to know that after 15 minutes, no one is listening anyway. course, my talk is only 7 minutes long, so maybe everyone will be attentive. i present my research tomorrow at 12:30. i'm a little nervous, but i feel very comfortable with my subject matter. i like what i'm doing, i'm excited about it, and i want to convey it to my future and present colleagues. anyway, i'm trying to finish my powerpoint. i hate powerpoint. it really has detracted from people having to actually learn to speak clearly and well in public. now, you can just read from your powerpoint slides. i think public speaking is on the losing side of this. i've sat through too many lectures where people read me the slides that i could plainly see and read for myself. at any rate, my powerpoint is plain, no frills, just the basics. i'll fill in the details with my lecture.

anyway, not much else is going on here. i've worked for 3 consecutive days. it's really odd considering that i haven't done much lately. i'm leaving for florida on saturday, to spend the week with my family. hopefully there won't be too many more hurricanes. jim, regrettably, can find no one to sub for his class, so he has to stay here.

ah well, ta-ta.