Update

First of all, the PhD is official. Somehow, hitting the last day of summer semester actually felt different: the realization that no matter what, I was done. Even if my committee wants dissertation edits (which I'm sure they will once we publish the research), the PhD is there and it's not moving. So please indulge me here: Nicole Forsgren Velasquez, PhD. No, I won't be going by all three names and I haven't hyphenated them, but it's fun to see the 'Forsgren' in there, and it needed to be included the first time I ever typed it. And no, you don't have to call me 'Dr.' That's for my students and the people I don't like.

Last week I was in Toronto for AMCIS, an academic MIS conference. I was fairly busy there talking about my research and interviewing, but still managed to relax a bit and have some fun. For those of you wondering who I interviewed with and who my favorites are, we'll have to take that discussion offline. I don't want to jinx myself or show my hand, and for now, I like keeping this blog public. I somehow stumbled into the cool kids' group and had more fun than I've had at past conferences. Better yet... I realized toward the end of the conference that much of us do similar research and a couple of us are already scheming ways to collaborate. Yesssssss.

By way of publication updates, the paper I wrote with A. Durcikova and R. Sabherwal was accepted to HICSS... Which means that I have to go to Hawaii in January and present. Tough life, I know. (Someday I'll be faculty and won't have to pay for my own travel, which will be even better.)

• “Studying Knowledge Management Success in System Administration,” with A. Durcikova and R. Sabherwal. HICSS 2009, Big Island, HI.
  

Even though I was strangely free in my evenings last week, that free time has suddenly disappeared. With IBM, BR, paper revisions, and two (and possibly three, see above) ongoing research projects, I'm back to the old grind. It really makes me wonder: as much as I think I'm stressed and need some time off, I never seem to let myself have it. Maybe I really am happier being pulled in a million different directions.

I know this post is all over the place. Sorry. I wanted to get all of you updated so I can post random little observations and funnies from my life.