MSP redux

Flying from AMS to MSP. It was a good trip-- the Ghoshal conference in London, time to chat with Gerry and Tore, and of course returning to Edinburgh. Much accomplished, mostly as follows:

First, everything is on track to move to Scotland. We have housing arranged-- a 6 month let 1-Aug to 1-Feb in a very nice part of Edinburgh, the New Town area near the edge of Stockbridge. The address is 7 Darnaway Street (postcode information to follow another time). I've met some of the neighbors in Aisnslie Place, the Raabs, former professors (of governance and statistics, respectively), and apparently we are in extraordinary company as well, as Professor Peter Higgs also lives in the vicinity. The process of signing the lease was a bit more stressful than I expected, though I'm pleased to say I remained optimistic throughout. The day we confirmed that we wanted to let the apartment the owners received a call from a potential purchaser (they had put the property on the market because the apartment hadn't let for a number of months and they don't use it frequently). So, suddenly, they didn't want to let it on the chance it sold. We went through two cycles in a single day on that-- first they decided to let it, and then at 4pm (with a scheduled lease signing of 5.15pm) they changed their mind, and I arrived at the letting office to be told everything was on hold. We waited, and the phone call finally came to agree to the lease. All was quickly solved, signed and sealed.

The kids and Lynn received their new US passports (mine will expire in 2012, so we'll have to take care of that at some point), and now we are set for Costa Rica. We'll have to coordinate the entry clearance for Lynn and the kids after Costa Rica, but so far the UK Consulate General's office in Chicago has been a model of celerity in responding to various visa and entry clearance requests.

There is still much to do-- closing on the sale of the house, shipping belongings to Edinburgh, getting rid of everything else or storing it locally, and so on.

And, i still need to submit my actual dissertation document and complete the viva, currently scheduled for 1-Sep. But so far, all seems possible and on schedule.

I had the opportunity in Edinburgh to chat with faculty and establish some preliminary connections with some of the other schools. The weather was, according to the locals, extraordinary-- little rain, much sunshine, warm and balmy. The cherry trees in the Meadows were in full bloom, with a rain of petals constantly drifting about. The students were camped out in great numbers, some apparently barbecuing on the lush green lawn. It was precisely as one imagines a college campus in good weather, with the only slight oddity being the proclivity towards grey and black clothing and the complete absence of shorts -- thought short and mini-skirts were not uncommon on the women. The campus, though in the heart of the town, benefits from the many green spaces, from the sprawling Meadows to George Square and others. I spent a pleasant 15 minutes sitting in George Square admiring the campus central garden while waiting for an appointment.

I also spent much time walking around-- from the High Street to the Grassmarket, the main shopping area on Princes Street, and crossing the river via the Mound past the historic museums. It is constantly strange to turn a corner and see a church or other historic building at least 300 years old--- and of course the castle always just above the hillside-- overlooking the Grassmarket, in fact-- quite a sight on a clear warm night. Nick and Sarah took me through a quick tour of the Old College as well, the great Library hall, apparently mostly unused now other than for major events.

The new business school construction continues apace. Charles Raab commented that it used to be a somewhat catastrophic building-- partially falling apart and asbestos ridden-- I can only assume all that has been resolved. Realistically, the facade of the school is clean but not particularly striking-- it actually recapitulates the style and shapes of the Robertson building. On the other hand, I assume the interior and the upper, glass--enclosed floor, will all be modernized; another improvement will be the locational distribution of the groups within the school so I should be near the rest of the E&I group.

The dinner with the Raabs was wonderful-- they were kind and gracious and perfect hosts.

At times I struggle to imagine exactly what my role will be within the Business School. At the moment I have no conceptualization beyond that to a role within the broader University, but perhaps there will be something. In the meantime, I will be focused on my specific responsibilities-- completing the dissertation, surviving the viva, submitting more papers and consolidating my current research outputs, and eventually preparing to teach. My impression is that the teaching load will be modest in Fall term and heavier in Spring, though at this point I still have relatively few details.

The only disappointment of the entire trip was discovering, Friday night, walking back from dinner with the Raabs, that there would be a performance of Bach's B-Minor Messe tonight (Saturday) in one of the performance halls, which I would just muiss, of course. It seems I have been waiting many years to experience a live performance, and to be so close is frustrating, as it is so rarely performed in its entirety.

For now, aside from a few loose threads to follow up on from my meetings, I can put all that asisde and begin to look towards our trip to Costa Rica beginning in mid-June. I am very, very excited to go surfing again.