Off to the Economic History Society Annual Conference today.

Very excited to be part of such an important event in the economic history calendar, I'm also looking forward to a lot of the papers. My own paper is in one of the New Researchers' sessions, in which there are prizes for the best paper/s.

I think the judging panel will have their work cut out, having seen the quality of the papers in the conference booklet. I don't envy them. Actually, they've all got full-time academic positions, so yes, not only do I envy them, I despise them. About time they did something to earn their crusts. Telling them that at the start of my paper is bound to secure me the prize.

The papers will be judged on content, focus, contribution to scholarship, and written and oral delivery. The latter will be especially tough to judge as the papers will only be 15-20 minutes in length. This leaves precious little time for all the small things which make a research paper enjoyable to listen to: engagement with the audience, interesting asides, flashes of wit here and there. Those may not be appropriate for a paper in written form, but I think they're pretty important in the context of oral delivery.

Also, I fear many people will have trouble sticking to the time limit - indeed, perhaps the prize will go to the only people who don't run over! Normally my time management is very good. Let's hope the exception to that rule does not manifest itself this weekend.

I'm looking forward to seeing Durham, and plan to visit Newcastle as well to see if I can spot a 'coat-wearing geordie' or even a 'coat wearing geordie', which, if the stereotype about the georgies' aversion to outer garments is anything to go by, may be more likely. (That one's for you, Harry.)