Berkeley Berkeley

First of all, is it some kind of public holiday today that nobody told me about? There's nobody here at work but me.. and this rep from Silicon Graphics who came to fix our sick computer.

It's a brilliant day in Berkeley.. bright blue sky, fresh air, sun, green grass, flowers on the trees, bustling with people. I don't know how I could leave this city. I spent the (5-day) weekend in Rochester visiting the university there... they have a great program, lots of nifty fancy quantum optics labs and giant lasers, and a quaint town with a river and a canal and neat little victorian houses with very cheap rent. But that city just lacks the pizzazz of this one. (I might still end up there... who knows.)

The flight home was long but pretty fun.. Chicago was closed for two hours, meaning we sat on the tarmac at Rochester for about that time. But we got there eventually, with time for some dinner (orange chicken!). Dana and I got to be buddies and got seats together on the Chicago to Oakland flight. It was a pretty good flight on a nice new Airbus plane. (I am kind of shocked that United Airlines bought a European aircraft... but I'm not complaining.)

Got a rejection letter from Princeton in the mail here at the lab today. (And a letter from Ohio State thanking me for my application... what application?) But all I'm waiting for now, I think, is the letter from Berkeley.

next stop Pittsburgh, 3/18.. no, next stop Chapel Hill, 3/11. The chapel hill recruiting weekend sounds very nice, including dinner at a professor's house, and hiking in the Duke woods.. but I'm missing the recruiting wknd and just going on my own. (update: looks like I'm going to Chapel Hill in April instead, 'cause my proposed date is during their spring break. oh well, maybe the weather will be nicer.)

P.S. I voted last week.