I walk on the street, wondering why this happened. I could not believe only one top university gave me the interview. Nothing is important to me now after I finished this interview this afternoon. It is really a pleasure to find a 7-11 near the motel I am staying at. I bought purified water and some nuts as snacks. Tonight I would like to watch the old movie hands of the ripper despite tomorrow's interview is waiting. My boldness comes from my preparation and self-confidence.
It is afternoon as I arrive San Diego
Cruise Ship
Happy to see a convenient store.
Jan. 5th
The interview in the morning is not excited. Obviously, we have very different opinions about the goals of research. The interviewers hope research should be having important policy implications; I insist in academia research is itself a goal. Its usefulness should be found by anyone who find it useful. But I don't show my real thoughts to them, instead I don't deny their opinion. It seems the oldest interviewer is quite satisfied with my thoughts. He does not discover he had shown his cards before I made my turn. I always know I cannot confront with others in this occasion. When it comes to normalization issues, my thoughts are as hard as a rock and as clear as a crystal.
I wander along the seashore until the check-in time. I move to the main hotel. The hotel gives me a free upgrade. God might hear my complain of the lack of refrigerator in the motel. The suite really surprises me. Its size is equivalent to two standard rooms. There is a living room with sofa and a wide-screen TV, a kitchen and a dining room with a long table. I don't need a room that luxury, but why not enjoy it in this lonely business trip?
A small part of the convention center
Good Weather and Good View
Little Italy
Petco Park
I move to Hyatt today. The conference suite is good although I don't a room so large.
Jan. 6th.
The last interview is over. I rush to the hotel to take off the formal dress and the pair of stupid leather shoes. First, I go to a plaza and the historical streets. Fine stores and special restaurants are connected to each others. They don't mean much to me, an individual traveller. I can only choose among fast food chains that are never located in downtown.
Finally I find a burger restaurant. There is a strange woman in it. She keeps talking to the air. No customers and employees are bothered by her. In these days, I see many cases similar to this
one, aimless people, street wanderers and mischief residents. If I had come with others, I could be enjoying grill in a restaurant recommended by the tourist magazine. There would be no way to witness the other side of the city.
The weather is unstable today. In the afternoon it rains occasionally. The rain is not heavy enough to interrupt the trip, it is disturbing whatever. I revisit the seashore. The island on the other side of the sea looks interesting. The sea quickly billows my thinking and brings my attention to nowhere.
Gaslamp Quarter
Horton Plaza
Odd Store
Harbors belonging to hotels
Marina Park
Mission Brewery
USS Midway Museum
Santa Fe Depot
A couple sitting on the bench next to mine are citizens here. We have a chat for minutes. Being a person living a life in North Carolina, I had to tell them "I prefer the east coast to the west coast."
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