intermission

[nibot]

So, I'm in Rochester now.

Since April I've gotten the "Don't go to Rochester" speech about three times a day everyday. Most recently it was from my boss, who offered (threatened) to send me a live video feed of Scripps Institute of Oceanography sometime around December. (This was after asking "What would it take to make you stay here?" and letting me live in his beachfront condo for three weeks.) Even my grandfather, Rolf, who lives here, starts his review rather forbodingly: "And start thinking snow, lots of snow, cold, bitter cold, mush on the roads..." Then it was some random guy on the airplane to Berkeley, who said, "But Physics — shouldn't you be going to Caltech or MIT?" Of course I replied with, "Well, that's not how things worked out. And Rochester is good too." Which is my euphamism of choice for "I would have loved to attend one of those fine institutions, but I was not accepted there. Thanks for rubbing it in, you heartless clod!" Rolf continued: "- but also gorgeous summers, wonderful natural parks, Adirondacks, nearby Canada, etc - and - the best laser research lab anywhere!"

I had a good half-day vacation at home in Orange County after leaving La Jolla. My cousin bobolly was visiting while looking for a place to live in Fullerton, since she's beginning a masters in music there at CSU Fullerton. I think Fullerton will probably be a nice place to live. Anyway, it was fun being home and seeing Holly too. We had steak-kebobs for dinner one night, and then tamales I'd bought in La Jolla. (But before he sold me the tamales, the tamale man gave me the don't-go-to-rochester speech -- "my family is from Syracuse..." -- it's everywhere, you see.)

LAX was a zoo as always. I was re-routed from my DC-based itinerary to a new one via Chicago, which didn't surprise me at all, since the Washington DC trip didn't make much sense at all... I stayed up all night and slept soundly on the plane, sleep-walking from Concourse B to Concourse C at Chicago, to get on the connecting flight which had started boarding before my first flight had landed.

Arrived in Rochester in the bright and sunny afternoon. Rolf gave me the grand tour. We ate at "The King and I" where everyone seemed to know him, saw the waterfront and the ferry terminal, visited various aunts and cousins. Then he dropped me off at 43 Westview Terrace (Rochester, NY 14620-3907), which is to be my new home.

Vijay, Micah, Chin, and Ryan (four) met me outside. Vijay cooked up a yummy dinner and we watched olympic gymnastics and several episodes of Family Guy. I think it's going to be grand.

Comments

[svino.livejournal.com]

Welcome to Rochester! Aww, don't let the naysayers get you down, it's not so bad here.

Anyway, you live pretty close to me (I'm in the University Towne House on the corner of Elmwood and Mt. Hope.) We should meet up some time. ^_^

[nibot.livejournal.com]

absolutely.. I walk by UTH every day!