If you will it, 2007 will come.

1. If you weren't at the Eastern, be glad. It was the year they brought back the smoker for a blazing good time. In other words, the hotel was on fire. Apologies for the bad and overused puns.

2. Good luck to the various Gardeners doing job hunting at the Eastern. May you receive at least as many call-backs as you had interviews!

3. Although this isn't my blog and thus perhaps not my place to say so, many thanks to all the recently-participating folks who've made the blog rebound in a big way over the past month or so! Sadly, I missed much of the discussion because of travelling and other committments, but many thanks to you and everyone over the past year for all the good conversations. I keep learning from you all.

4. Happy New Year!

Comments

[John Fischer]

Manuel, Many thanks to you for starting up our reading group, which has been so successful.

Thanks also to Neal Tognazzini and Gustavo Llarrull, for all their hard work, and to all the Gardeners for your thoughtful, lively contributions.

Finally, doesn't it seem ridiculous that the APA still has its Eastern meetings at such a horrible time, making it hard for people with young(ish) kids to go? I suppose there are reasons for this, and a famous philosopher once told me that many people look forward to escaping their families after Christmas, but...

Happy New Year!
John

[Manuel]

John's comment is prescient: It looks like the MLA has just voted to move theirs away from the Christmas to New Year's stretch to early January on grounds that (1) hotel prices aren't actually cheaper anymore during that period but (2) airfare typically is more expensive between the holidays and frequent flier miles have more restrictions then. Article here:

http://insidehighered.com/news/2007/01/02/delegates

[Anon]

As a gardner who was on the market this year, I second John Fischer's comment that the timing of the Eastern is problematic.

I wish all my fellow job-seekers the best in their search.

[Eddy Nahmias]

As someone with small kids (and a birthday on Dec. 29!), I also second (third?) John's comments about the miserable timing of the APA. I suspect the reasoning involved hotel rates and the fact that every school is not in session then. How about Jan. 2-5?

And I also hope 2007 is a great year for Gardeners and the Garden.

[Sergio Tenenbaum]

Some people have told me that the Executive Committee was studying the possibility of changing the dates for the Eastern APA. This was a while ago, so I don't know if they actually came to any decision. Does anyone know more about this? It might be worth writing a letter to the APA, since I've never heard anyone voice support to the current dates.

Happy new year!