Business as Usual?

Under the slogan "No 'business as usual'!"Columbia students decided to protest against the war in Iraq yesterday by not going to class. In other news, alcoholics decided to protest by drinking heavily, Wall Street investment bankers by making huge sums of money, and workers in the US Post Office by making their customers wait in line for hours on end.

The paper I gave at the graduate conference last weekend went really rather well. I was very happy with the delivery and the response it got, though since it was at 10:00 a.m. on a Saturday, there weren't huge numbers of people there. The party afterwards was unfortunately kind of lame - certainly not as good as last year, anyway. I think I know why, too - last year a lot of attendees were staying with Columbia students as a courtesy to them and to make it easier to find accommodation. This year the organisers basically told 'em to find their own - not particularly inviting, and obviously if you're staying on, say, West 34th St, you're hardly going to trek all the way back up to Columbia for a party when there're better options nearer you.

I'm going back to the Consulate later this afternoon for the second shift of interviewing JET applicants, after doing the first lot on Tuesday. I'm kind of in two minds about exactly how much I should really be writing on the subject, since the procedure is supposed to be confidential. I do have some observations to make, but I think I'll save them until after I've had a little time to reflect, and of course to do the second lot of interviews.

We got our first serious snowfall on Tuesday night, actually, right after I'd got back from the Consulate. Naturally, it all turned into grey slush within 24 hours, but...just like in Japan, a coat of snow does wonders for a city's complexion.

And Valentine's Day on Wednesday, of course. I cooked a luxurious and gourmet dinner for my girl as we celebrated in the most decadent style imaginable. 2 in a row - that's a record for me.