A Family's Blog

New York City

Yesterday I went to New York with some friends for no good reason. We got back this morning around 5:30am. You can more about it here.

Leverett Formal

Last night, I headed back to my undergraduate House for this year’s spring formal. For the past three years we’ve traditionally held it at the Faculty Club, the snooty building where many of the professors take their lunch. When I taught for an advanced, theoretical freshman class—and now usually the largest with enrollment at about one at about one hundred to one hundred twenty students each semester—the entire teaching staff would meet there on Fridays to discuss the course and eat creme brulee. We ate downstairs in the cafeteria-type part. Upstairs is a la carte and much more expensive; the department couldn’t afford it. Sometimes we’d see big shots like Vaffa, Gross, Yau, and McMullen dining together. They’re all very, very influential people in math and physics. To see them at one table, hopefully talking about cars, was really spectacular for me.

But last night, the undergraduates had rented it out. We had one famous physicist, Howard Georgi, there. He works on grand unified theories and takes pictures of all his students, with whom he lives, at Leverett House. Here is one such picture:

The one in the tux is Emily; I’m in the middle; at the right is Laura. They’re both little kid doctors. Emily is a child psychiatrist. Laura is a pediatric surgeon. In the fall, they’ll both be working at Brown University’s medical school. [I guess technically Laura is an assistant professor at the Harvard Medical School now.] People commented very favourably on my cap. It’s not new. In fact, I wear it for weeks at a time. But when I put on pinstripe pants and wear it to the faculty club, it stands out a bit more. I tell people that it was Uncle Bobby’s. Based on its age, it very well could be. I thought dad had told me it was but he doesn’t remember ever saying so. It appeared sometime after his death. Even if it wasn’t, I’m going to continue telling people that it was.

The House Committee splurged on an open bar. I meant to pace myself so that I could make it back home last night but lost track of the time. My friend Sarah, Morgan, and Leah took care of me, providing bedding and futon to sleep on. The meter maids got to my car before I did and left a twenty dollar parking ticket. I haven’t told dad yet. Better a small fine and no injuries than huge medical bills and potentially great physical and material loss.

I can’t wait not to need a car again. Oh, Janice just set off the fire alarm while cooking burgers. I should check on the situation.