next week: stranger in a strange land?

not a very productive day, so far. at best i may re-write a talk today in preparation for chicago next week.

this should be interesting.

the conference is recurring, year after year,
the participants are a regular crowd, colleagues and friends
-- and even after attending the last one --
i will still feel like the "new guy."

oh well.

i should make new friends and meet new people, anyway. if i were a parent, i suppose i'd say that "it builds character."

this will require a more active participation.
i won't be able to assume very much familiarity.

i'll not only have to explain the odd bits in my thesis -- if anyone even asks about it -- but to explain what my research area is.

not everyone cares about metric spaces, or suspects that you can do any good analysis on spaces other than manifolds.

i don't think this is a crowd which uses the word "quasιconfοrmal" very often, or "sοbolev space" or "rectifiabιlity."

conversely, i think they will say words like "baιre categοry" and "pean&omircon; derιvative" and i might give dumb looks in return.

so if i want to be understood and to understand others, then i'd better be convincing and have a good memory!