I **am** going to Brazil, I **HAVE** to go!!

This morning, for some strange reason I opened up my dissertation and started reading. Then I emailed a scholar I cite and whom I'd contacted once back in 2007 to tell her that I need to mail her an essay I copied for her in Brazil back in 07 (I'd actually written on a footnote that I'd made her a copy of the essay -- what a good way to remind me to do it!! 4 years later, phew!).

Half an hour ago I started looking at the dissertation again and began clicking on links to essays and other resources to see if they were still active/functioning and they were! Most important of all, I stumbled upon a conference that I just HAVE TO GO TO!!!

You guys, I'm almost in tears right now. Do you know how many days are left to register for the conference?

FIVE DAYS!!
(Edited to add: actually, I got mixed up with the Brazilian dates and people can register to the conference up to the day before it starts, obviously there has to be some kind of deadline for registering to present -- that is April 15. It's still exciting, but it's good to know if I have enough time to plan properly, phew!)

But I found out on time in this instance when back in 2008 I realized several weeks and/or months too late that I'd missed an incredible opportunity in which several Brazilian women writers gave talks at a small event in New York city. I nearly had a fit that day... but today I'm rejoicing! I can hardly believe how serendipitous this whole thing is. And it's just what I needed -- a valid excuse, or rather, an important reason to go to Brazil since I want to go just so, so much anyway!

Wow. OK, now I have to go call my mom so she can make the bank deposit that will assure my participation in this conference (I have some time, phew!).  Oh, and call K too and give him the news that I'm going, yes, I am!!

I'll keep you posted, but I'm just SO, SO, SO excited! Every time I read/re-read my dissertation I keep on thinking that I need to get my work well known in Brazil, that I should publish it there. This will be a golden opportunity to interact with thousands of like-minded Brazilian (and even international) academics. WOW!