Today I attended a seminar so far outside my discipline that I just couldn't get into it. It was part of a larger event, otherwise I wouldn't have been there. I did something I've actually never done before: I fell asleep. I know many people frequently fight dozing during talks, but it's not usually a problem for me because I'm a terrible napper. I definitely space out during boring seminars, but I don't fall asleep. This one was so boring that I just couldn't help it.
I didn't just have heavy lids, I actually had a dream! I think I was dreaming about the seminar because I woke up at one point thinking I had a great question to ask and I felt really proud. Then I realized I had no idea what was going on on the screen.
I felt really bad for being so rude to the speaker. Honestly, the work seemed important and I'm glad that someone is doing it (and that it's not me), but I just couldn't understand enough to get engrossed. Luckily, my head wasn't rolling or anything...maybe he didn't notice my eyes were closed.
6 comments:
I've fallen asleep before during a research seminar. It was at 4pm and that's just a biological low for me. Plus the speaker had this awful monotone... However, as long as your head doesn't do the nod/jerk thing, they usually can't tell.
The worst is when they turn the lights off so as to show the screen better. I once managed to doze off for a few minutes at such a seminar, while standing up (I had back pain and couldn't handle sitting for too long, so I stood up against a wall. Previous to that, I thought that sleeping while standing was only for horses. But granted, the pain medicine made me sleepy.)
What wakes me up is looking at all the sleeping profs in the room!
I often fall asleep during talks, if they are booring and dark. Maybe it is embarassing, but so is holding a booring talk.
I used to really struggle with lunchtime seminars - we'd all bring our lunch, and eating, sitting in a comfy chair, and being in a dark room, was a lethal combination.
My friend fell asleep at a seminar she attended while on interview - on her interviewer's shoulder. (She worked with horses and had been up all night for a difficult foaling). She must have done something else right because he took her on as a grad student.
The new guy in our group fell asleep during a group meeting -- the room was not dark, and unfortunately for him, the boss got up to explain something in the front, and saw him with closed eyes... the reaction was remarkably calm, though. Amazing.
During boring seminars in dark rooms, especially when I've been listening to talks the whole day, it's hard. I try to sit in the back and/or think about something else that will keep me awake.
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