Someday this blog will return to publishing my sermons and reflections on saints and such, but while I am on the road or overworked in the academic salt mines, it's hard. Not even the catch-up foodie posts from Paris are finished.
What I can say is that after a long day of meetings and interviews, I had supper with a good friend and had Goa fish curry. That's Goa, India, and the curry was light, fragrant, and lemony, which didn't come from lemon but from tamarind.
As for the interviews: interviewing candidates for teaching posts here is a kind of academic speed-dating. You see people for 30 minutes, which is more like 25 because you walk them to and from the little booth where you sit with members of your department, and you try to be warm and hospitable while lobbing strategic questions in their direction in a curtained cubicle similar to those in the emergency room of a U.S. hospital, except that the curtains here are purple. My colleague refers to the warren of interview cubicles as "the purple labyrinth." Both of us are relatively new in our jobs so we remember being the interviewees just a few years ago.
It is amazing what you can find out in 25 minutes, though, and how people's demeanor does not always match their dossier.
Eventually we bring three finalists to campus, and then the interview lasts for two days.
Among the meetings and seminars today: a very good one on Latina theologies.
Yesterday: found out interesting and encouraging information about the Bible study at the upcoming Lambeth conference.
Many old friends. Not enough time. Horribly expensive coffee and food. (The land of the nine dollar tuna sandwich. No, I didn't have one.) Clement weather. Much walking back and forth between large concrete buildings and big hotels to get from one meeting to another. Lost a beautiful chiffon scarf on the way to brunch because it was so light it blew right off my shoulders.
I still think downtown San Diego looks like a cardboard movie set.
I may be turning into the online Samuel Pepys. Heaven forfend.
4 comments:
But you're so good at it, and surely there are better French examples?
Jane,
I don't know how you've managed to post at all these past few weeks. I'm tired just reading where you've been. Food posts are always welcome.
Poor candidates. Of course, it must be done.
Jane, I, too, give you credit for being able to post at all.
Thanks, all. Good to be home. I am finally feeling rested after three good long nights of sleep.
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