10/15-17 in Madison

10/15-17/2013:  I got into MSN on time, but S’s plane was late.  He said, go & meet L, so I picked up the car (w/ almost $100 in extra charges), and drive to the engineering building.  Leon guided me to a legal parking place, and we got lunch in the Discovery bldg, then S arrived, so we went out to the airport to get him, checked into our hotel, and went to the Chazen Museum of art, expanded to 3x the size it was when I visited last.

I was taken by a Thai Bhudda – 12^th century—and a madonna & child w/ a lot of geometric gold fill above.  The gallery closed @ 5, of course.  

We went to the Old Fashioned for dinner – we had to wait about an hour for a table (they don’t take resvs) – had lazy susan # 6 (creamed herring, smoked trout, other stuff I could eat) & I had a salad.  Much of the conv was between L & S – L talked about his work in a lot more detail than I’d heard before.  That when one of his friends graduated, his principal investigator (aka PI)  had sent him a flow chart for PhD comics on how to react.

L took bus home; S & I walked back to the hotel.  Our room had a massive sectional sofa.  When we asked could we pay for L to join us at the free breakfast, they said, no charge.  Guest of a guest worked ok.  

Breakfast wasn’t bad (but wasn’t great), but it made S happy it was free.  L came and joined us, then we stopped at his pharmacy for him to get a med refill, then we went out to Blue Mounds Park – grey day, not that cold, pretty fall colors in the sumac and maples.  Maybe we hiked a mile up to the top – wet leaves over everything; I was glad I’d brought my hiking shoes.  Rocks had a lot of chert in them.  Nice views from the top, but of course I was too afraid of the height to go up more than ½ way to the top of the observation tower.

We went back to the hotel, I changed fast, we went to engineering to take L’s group to lunch after group meeting broke up.  L posted a pic of S reading a newspaper and me reading my cell phone & titled it “old school vs. less old school?”

Yon Bing went to the same university as Siyi and Yin.  S asked lots of questions; where had people gone undergrad, what were their research projects, what surprised them the most about the US.  They were a lively group – fun to talk to.

After lunch, we had 5 min to talk w/ L’s Principal Investigator (but she stayed in spite of being late to a mtg).  I was VERY impressed.  She came to the US in 2000 – if she stayed in Belgrade, she’d never have enough earnings to live on her own – she started at Berkely, switched to ASU & engineering – it was easier for her to trade down than for her then-boyfriend (now husb) to trade up.  In 13 yrs, she got her doctorate, reached full prof, and had 3 kids (& is still married).  She thinks well of L – wanted to reassure us he’d be publishing physics papers, in physics journals, and would find wk in physics.  I said my Dad, who Leon was named for, was an elect engineer, and I was proud of L.

(wanted to not take too much time of hers or embarrass L).  Keep remembering the Mom who hugged S and asked him to take care of her (freshman) child.

Anyway, then S went back to the Chazan mus.  L walked me to the bookstore where I bought a Sue Grafton (she’d been on NPR – I don’t know why I’d been avoiding her books all these years), and the letters of Mme de Sevigne, and an Economist.  We met up at the hotel and soon started to Graze, where physics friends of L’s had assembled:  Alex & Megan (fr MA), John, Sarah & Lennox (5 mo old & teething) Phil, Ian.  We were a merry group.

Alex had stories of his parents, who had wilted on a 30 mi bike ride they’d proposed on a hot day.  When Megan’s Dad met her major prof, he said “thank you for taking care of my little girl”.

We went to see L’s apt – 3 rooms – BR w/ a trin bed & desk w/ computer (only chair that wasn’t covered w/ stuff).  LR has 2 bikes, skiis, ice fishing gear, tables and chairs & couch covered w/ STUFF.  S took a pic of L w/ huge ice-fishing drill (my cell phone had died by then).  

Anyway, I hugged & kissed L and we headed back to the hotel.  

S drove us to the airport next AM.  I got to my flight – arrived w/ maybe 20 min to get from Concourse F to C but MADE IT and so did my bag.  I was v. impressed.  

S had a horrible time getting back from Chicago to Phila – 3 successive flights he was booked on were cancelled (one took off but turned back), and he didn’t get in until evening.

A picked me up at the SF airport and took me to hotel (Stanford Court, again, on Nob Hill).  Bertha’s (that’s A’s 2000 hand-me-down Subaru) back door wouldn’t open – she’s getting old & wheezy – the steep hills make me v. nervous.