I heart hartford

will in transit
tearful haircut
james, thrilled to ride in an AUTO of his own

This is Katharine writing, just back from a whirlwind visit to the University of Hartford for a speedy job interview. If given my choice, I do not think I would have opted to leave just a few days after the international move-- but now that it is over I am quite glad I had the chance to visit the school and interview.

Mike drove Will and I at 4AM on Monday morning to catch the airport shuttle, then we flew from Atlanta to Dulles in Washington, and finally from Dulles to the Hartford international airport. Special Note: I found out during the visit that KLM has just started non stop service from Amsterdam to the hartford airport (Bradley International). Mike picked us up just after midnight on Tuesday. The interview went really well. Everyone was really friendly, and supportive of the fact that I'd brought my 3 month old baby along. In fact, I cannot tell if they really, really liked me-- or are just some of the nicest people I've met in a while. I had a great visit, though it was super busy with meetings, appointments, meals and lectures. I met with each of the members of the department, the dean, the environmental studies folks, and had dinner with the search committee. I also had a chance to present my research to a group of faculty/search committee members and students. They did not want a traditional "research presentation" because the school focuses more on teaching than research. So, I took my research (or a portion of) and used it to create a lecture about connections between local initiatives and global environmental problems. They were really positive about it, though as I said they were super nice people-- so it is difficult to say what their enthusiasm "means" in terms of a job prospect. They said they hope to inform the candidates by January... and of course I will pass that information on through this website.

The city of hartford was great, the town of West Hartford really accessible and not a victim of suburban sprawl. The campus is beautiful (though surely the foot of snow gave it an especially pristine and clean appearance).

Will was great as a traveling companion. Compared to a nine hour flight, a few short jumps up and down the east coast seemed like an easy task. Will slept, ate, and charmed everyone he came into contact with. Our sister in law Pat's sister Berni came down to babysit Will on Tuesday and they had a wonderful day together.

In other news--- we are just keeping busy organizing ourselves (and our belongings) on this side of the Atlantic. We will move our stuff from Atlanta to Valdosta later this week. In our 'spare' time we have been to the Catholic Church's Santa pancake breakfast, to the barber for a tearful haircut for James, shopping for clothes and Christmas stuff, and on several playdates with our cousins the Goulds. Such fun!