The world is just (mind-blowingly) awesome!

It has been a heady few days.  Trying to study for my chemistry midterm yesterday proved challenging, because the word "preoccupied" simply does not do justice to the state I was in. (Or am still in, for that matter.)  But I have finally calmed down enough to tell you about it (I think), so hold onto your hats!

Early Wednesday afternoon

Between my chemistry class and my Craving Change workshop (oh, right -- I have to tell you about that too!), I checked my email to discover a rather cryptic one-liner from my space studies prof from last year.  We still talk about the space program when we bump into each other, and when I have a question, I drop him a line.  Anyway, the email read: "Hi Karen -- If you are on campus today (or tomorrow) drop by and see me....I have a potential space opportunity for you."

Naturally I was curious, but after the workshop I had to head out to Rothesay to pass one of my geocoins to a friend who would take it to Egypt with him (more on that later too), so I didn't catch up with the professor until ...

Thursday morning

Patience is not one of my virtues, and if I were a cat, I would have died of curiosity a long time ago.  So 8:30 AM Thursday found me sitting cross-legged on the floor opposite the space studies professor's door.  I had wracked my brain and the only thing I could come up with was maybe it had something to do with Guy Laliberté (founder of Cirque du Soleil and Canada's first civilian space flight participant who was hosting an international clean water awareness event from the International Space Station the next day).  I thought perhaps I'd be able to email him a question or something and he would reply from space.  And that would be pretty cool.  But I didn't know what it was, so I was at "space camp" (as Hubby put it) opposite the door, and like the good little mature student that I am, I had my chemistry books out in order to study for my midterm.

Fortunately I didn't have to wait too long (my legs didn't even go to sleep), and soon I was sitting in his office and hearing about the opportunity.  Nope, not an email to the ISS, but an opportunity to attend (all expenses paid!) the RSC's Annual Symposium in Ottawa.

This year the focus is on space and astronomy, and given that I'm a total space junkie, when he was asked to select a student who might like to attend, he thought of me.  (ME! :) )  He was in a hurry to get to a meeting or something, so I thanked him profusely, took the information he'd given me, and promptly found the nearest bench so I could read it.

When my prof came around the corner and saw me sitting on the bench, he was greeted with me shrieking, "ASTRONAUTS!  THERE WILL BE ASTRONAUTS THERE!"

(Told you I was a little excited.)

He cautioned me that it wasn't carved in stone, and was afraid I'd be disappointed, but I replied that it was honestly just wonderful that he'd thought of me, and that if it didn't work out, then that would still be pretty cool.

I called my husband and told him about it, then I immediately wrote on Facebook: "There's an exciting possibility in my future. Don't want to say anything else in case I jinx it, but OH! My fingers are crossed, baby! :)"

I spent the next few hours trying to study chemistry and explain sharing electrons and charges and grams and moles and Avogadro's number to a classmate, while my head was in orbit, zipping along merrily at 8 kilometres per second.

When I got home from the university, there was an email from the professor saying he had passed along my name, and an email from the university's vice-president's office, giving me instructions on who to contact.  Worried that a) it might already be too late, and b) that I'd need to write an essay or something else as part of my application, I grabbed the phone and called.  In one breath I said, "Hi, my name is Karen McLean and I got your number from the university vice-president's office and I'm calling about the conference in Ottawa and I'd really, really love to go!"

There was a slight pause on the other end and I could almost hear her smiling.  "Then let's look at some flights for you."

Facebook at 4:28 PM: "I'm going to a space/astronomy conference in Ottawa next week! I'M GOING TO SEE ASTRONAUTS IN PERSON!!! I AM SO EXCITED I CAN'T BREATHE!!!"

Then I tried to study for my chemistry midterm. :)


Yesterday morning

I stopped by my space studies professor's office and greeted him with, "You are one of my favourite people in the entire world today!"  He looked as pleased as I felt.  After that I went to study chemistry (and look up online the seating diagrams of four different aircraft, just because, well, you know).  Then I wrote the chemistry midterm -- and did well, I think -- did some graphic design for my sister, and printed my plane e-tickets.

And got all wound up all over again.

You can be sure that there will be a lot more about this over the next few days, not just because I'm registering about 6.3 on the Richter scale because of excitement, but because I leave on Thursday morning!  Thank heavens it was such short notice, because I don't think I would have been able to wait!

As they say on the Discovery Channel, "The world is just awesome."