This I guess would be the least eventful day. It was basically a repeat of the previous day, except I had a most deliciously prepared lasagna for lunch, and I didn’t go to the museum. I didn’t take out the camera. I also got home (meaning hotel) a bit earlier, to iron out the talk some more with my professor. That evening, I just went for a walk, and ran through the talk atleast 5 times in my head. Considering, it’s a 25 minute deal, I was out for over 2 hours just thinking and randomly walking. Of course, with a drink in my hand.
(Interestingly, I’ve lived in Madras so long, and I always look a couple of times each side before attempting to cross a road. In Ann Arbor, I just walk, they will stop. Almost got killed a few times in this trip not remembering I was out of Ann Arbor. Such “deep thought walks” were when such events occured.)
I was feeling quite good about this by this time. Earlier, at M.I.T, I had also done the other usual preparatory things like checking whether my laptop worked in the room I was supposed to talk in the next day, and other such technical things which I didn’t want bothering me the next day. I only try to appear “underprepared”, I am quite orderly and well planned. Also, began to talk to other people around of different ages, and made some contacts in different universities. Surprisingly, no ulterior motives, just interesting to talk with people in the same line of interests from different places.
Slept very soundly, considering the magnitude of events of next day. I again feel this is because, the whole point being, at the end of the day, it’s a university, and these are scientists and technologists who are listening. This is my element, no need to really worry. It’s I who has put in months of thought into this work, not them. I automatically know more, or something equivalent. This realization calmed me I suppose.