Voice from the past: the season of study begins (cont'd)

The next day begins early. As normal, after a trip through time zones, I follow a sleep early, awake early pattern. I actually have breakfast! I do some unpacking, then start work. First a call to Franklin's secretary, then email to Franklin, both about the Hitachi fellowship. Turns out Franklin's not going to be back till Friday. Notification following his return. No, I cannot contact Hitachi directly - they don't know about their own fellowship. Only Franklin does. No, she doesn't know what percentage of applicants will receive the award. I later get a reply to my email. But not from Franklin. Apparently, his email has been forwarded to the secretary, and she impatiently reminds me to be patient. Friday's the day.

Jordan Hall is closed for lunch, so I eat at Tresidder. See Yen there. We both have Mexican food. After lunch, I procrastinate and check email. There, I realize that I had not brought my work for Gray (EE 372) along. So I go back to the room to get it. I do not find it there - unfortunately, it is in one of the boxes under Jean's control. Perhaps she is on holiday in LA and won't be back for a while. Meanwhile, I want to get a copy of my transcript. I remember that the pertinent computer system is available at strange hours. 12-2 it is unavailable, then 2-4 it is ok, then 4-6 it is not, and so on, I recall. So I have to wait. I decide to call May. Someone answers the phone. Wrong voice. Wrong number. Old number. I forgot to get her new number while back home.

Finally, it is 2pm. I go back to the computer room. I login. I was wrong - 12-2 it is available, then 2-4 it is not, then 4-6 it is... stupid computer. I decide to forgo the transcript for a while and go to Durand. Before approaching Clover or Fox, I make copies of the Princeton transcript. Then I see through the glass that there is someone else in Clover's office. So I walk up 2 floors to look for Fox. I find his office, but the door is closed. I do not knock. After some pacing and thinking, I go down again to Clover... I knock. There is a new guy in there. Clover smiles and tells me to return in 5 minutes. I relax a little. 10 minutes later, it is about 3:20pm and I see Clover.

I paraphrase : "Your work was good. The presentation went well, but I had high expectations, so I would give it (the presentation) a B." "I am going on sabbatical... I haven't had this many students in a long time... etc. etc. I cannot offer you a RA'ship at this time. possibly if the other proposal kicks in and overlaps starting winter quarter, I might have money for you in the Winter quarter. But that will be just to help you and to repay for prior services... what you want is long-term, leading to a PhD... I am not prepared to offer that at this time... (so many students around, etc.)." Do I leave? No. I start discussing some ideas of possible work that might be done. He gets the message and answers the unspoken question. "If you come up with any breakthroughs, we can find a way for you to come crashing back in ... I can stretch a little" (breakthrough, crashing, stretch, were all his words ... not my paraphrase). He invites me to continue to attend his group meetings if I want.

I leave with a smile on my face and a burden off my shoulders. Weeks of uncertainty are know over, and I am basking in the glow of the resolution of one of many uncertainties, a big one at that. After weeks of guessing games, subtleties and insinuations, it is quite a relief. I wait till 4 to print the transcript, then return to make copies and see Fox. This time, I knock. A low voice bellows, "Yes...". Fox IS in. I am somewhat surprised that he is talking to another student. Words gets around fast ("new prof in town, new money!"). I pace around more till the guy leaves and then I return.

The discussion with Fox is unlike the Clover one. I am simultaneously talking and making accessments. I take in the sights and sounds. I watch the man talk, I watch him move, I listen to the words. Unlike Clover, I don't know this guy at all. Well, barely.

"Have you decided on your research yet?"

".... blah blah blah (topics of interest)... computer simulations and theory"

I latch onto his mention of TDMA/CDMA as a topic of interest and start discussing... I also show I have read his papers... mentioning how low-power constraints limit the amount of signal processing possible, thus handicapping advocates for CDMA in low-power ubiquitous tranceivers of the kind Fox likes. That is straight out of one of his papers and he recognizes it. Does he like it? He wears a poker-face.

After more beating around the bush, I ask if he plans to hire any student this quarter. He replies that he will be hiring one, just one RA. He has barely moved in, after all, etc., etc., and is not officially at Stanford. Not wanting it to end there, I ask "So when will you be here?" , etc. and prolong the session with rapport-seeking comments and questions. I hand him a copy of my transcripts, which he barely glances over. I try to empathize with his problems of all the moving in he has to do. He seems to respond and tells me that he needs to buy a Mac and has to decide before ordering, etc., etc. I make a stupid joke about the place not yet looking like a "professor's office", which should have books and papers lying all over the floor and so on and he says that will happen soon - he defends himself, saying his office at Bellcore did look like a "professor's office". And so on. I leave the office, priding myself on my wit, despite being in the pit of sleepiness from jet lag, although I don't know what approach best suits this guy. Oh well, I have tried some.