Returning Home

Tomorrow I leave Amsterdam at 1:25 p.m. and head back to the US. It has been a productive trip. I've met lots of cool people and made some good professional connections. With regard to the latter, I spent an evening in Tilburg with the philosophy of science group, and while it looks like they are not going to offer me a job, the department head said that the search committee was very impressed with my work. Consequently, they would like to sponsor me in an application for an NWO grant (Dutch science foundation) so that I can be there for an entire year. This grant, if awarded, would make me eligible for another grant that provides 3 years of funding. 4 years of research and no teaching...nice. In the meantime, they are happy to support me for 3 months in the spring (feb-april) while I finish my dissertation. The psychometricians want me back too and they are going to try to help me make arrangements so that I can return in January (since I didn't get the funding intended to support such a trip).

My power adapter for my Mac died several days ago when I stumbled in late and plugged it in upside down (also causing a power outage in the apartment). Luckily the adapter was not plugged into the computer. That will be an 80 dollar replacement. I was going to get a new adapter here but at the Mac store they were 90 euro (roughly 10,000 dollars, if my estimation of the exchange rate is correct).

Last night I had the best meal of my trip when I went to a traditional Dutch place. Meatballs and mashed potatoes have never tasted so good. Best of all it was very cheap. My wonderful host, Harald, suggested the place and I packed my belly for the first time since I arrived. I've been living off one meal per day and about 4-5 hours of sleep per night. Mostly what I've been eating is stuff I grab at a convenience store at about 9pm on my way home from psychmetrophilosophizing. The exception, of course, is the Japanese pancakes I had the first night, but that did not leave me sated, even if it was wonderfully tasty. It is probably the calories from that first meal that have kept me from collapsing all week.

I'll post a couple pictures once my computer is back up and running.

Hold on, Basty, I'm coming home.