oasis

I've long debated posting on this blog about Randy Pausch, a former CMU colleague who passed away due to pancreatic cancer on July 25, 2008. While Randy was in the same department (HCII) as I was the past 4 years we never met. When the news about his cancer came out he sent out frequent email updates which always ran shivers down my spine.

I also vividly remember the day when the sad news arrived in my mailbox that after a 2 year battle Randy had finally passed away. I was at the CogSci conference 2008 where I had just received a best paper award and the next morning opened my inbox and read the sad email. But there was also an email from my colleague Ryan Baker who had just become first time father of a beautiful daughter.
The circle of life cliche and song rang in my head and I know Randy was a big fan of cliches as well as of "The lion king"! :-)

I would have gone to see his last lecture but at that time I was in the Netherlands to renew my US visa. It wasn't until recently when I finally watched his last lecture on youtube. You know how it goes, always an excuse of being too busy to just sit down and watch it. And I'm really glad I did because his moving and inspirational talk gave me some more perspective on my current jobless situation.

People often ask me how I feel about being back with my parents. I always half-jokingly reply that it feels like being in the twilight zone. Honestly though, I'm pretty relaxed about it and all of us are trying to make the best out of it without getting on each other's nerves too much.
Furthermore, the current situation gives me the chance to self-reflect and re-evaluate things which can't be bad.

I'm at 18 solid applications and have gotten 9 rejections so far. As Randy said the brick walls are there to show us how badly we really want something. Right now I still happily bang my head against the brick wall in hope that at some point it will crumble. Or indeed, until someone comes along to throw me over.

Here's to Randy Pausch and the wonderful life lessons he gave us!

first post in NL and what else than a Steelers related post?

last night in Pittsburgh....

So the well-known dictator that is time has finally ordered the final night to wearily fall upon me. The last two months have been fairly busy, hectic but at the same time rather fun. It's hard to explain but I do bloom in a more chaotic setting and despite of some mood swings it often puts a smile on my face.
What I have gained and lost during my time in the United States is anyone's guess really. But those are trivial questions since it is this path I've chosen, or perhaps the path that has chosen me, and I follow it with open heart and amazement. Just like after my PhD I find myself in a situation in which my future job still remains to be determined and yet I'm traveling once again. Back to the Old Continent which seems to have been calling me gently and unconsciously throughout my time here.
I am a European in heart and soul and as such it will be a more suitable match with culture and people. That is in no way meant to be disrespectful but the ever rushing job obsessed U.S. East Coast mentality simply is not my thing. Furthermore, I've thoroughly enjoyed my stay here despite the difficulties of starting anew in a completely new country with all its obvious and less obvious consequences.

Tomorrow I leave for my "home" country the Netherlands which I still do not really consider my home base. Guess the gypsy blood in me makes me more of a world citizen, regardless of how sappy that may sound.
The summer will be most interesting while still working for CMU while abroad, attending two conferences in Amsterdam and the hopefully multitude of job talks to give. So far one job talk has been scheduled and with some luck I'll get a few more.
If I have no luck staying in academia then I have back-up plans so I'm not too worried at the moment. Things always have a way of working out, the specifics are often trivial really. As such, the summer will determine where I shall end up starting September.

Whether or not this blog shall continue remains to be seen, I do tend to post in bursts. While posting does frequently appear in the back of my mind the actual will and inspiration to do so sometimes just ebs away or is drowned in the events and unevents of daily life.
But to have this blog this very evening to simply channel my current mood is rather satisfying.

The one constant thing in my life remains good music. Right now I'm completely blown out onto open sea by the wonderful Amália Rodrigues. With music like this I can take on anything...

PITTSBURGH PENS WIN STANLEY CUP 2009!!!

HOLY SHIT!!!
That pretty sums it up haha. I definitely did not think the Penguins could pull it off but they proved me wrong as hell. What do I know about ice hockey anyway?
But the way they came back after losing the first two games in Detroit by winning games 3 and 4 in Pittsburgh was a foreboding.
Yet who could've thought they would rebounce from that aweful 5-0 loss in game 5? I thought that was it, end of series. But no, the Pens tied it in Pittsburgh in game 6 once again.
And last night in the lion's den they pretty much did the impossible, against the statistics and against the odds, after having lost all previous games of this Stanley Cup series in Detroit they managed to win the most important game of them all!
Game 7: Pens 2 - Red Wings 1

HOLY SHIT!!!

And the best thing about is that they did it 3 days before I'm leaving Pittsburgh and the United States altogether. I'll be leaving on a high note and happy to have witnessed both Steelers and Pens win the highest title in the same season. That in itself had never happened before so history has been written and both teams pulled it off in my final year in Pittsburgh.
Good times!

Now back to the last hectic days before I leave American soil. But there shall be a big grin on my face :-)

heatwave in Pittsburgh

Played soccer earlier today and totally sucked at it. With the current heatwave it's impossible to strain oneself so much for sports.
Apparently the heatwave we're having has already broken some records, click HERE.

Typical Pittsburgh weather though. It can go from 5 Celsius to 32 Celsius on a day. Like last Friday for instance, it started off a bit chilly but we hit 30 Celsius in the afternoon.
Think it's supposed to fall back to 26 C on Tuesday and 20 C on Wednesday and Thursday. I wish it would rain every Sunday when playing soccer!

Yup time is running out

My CMU contract is ending per August 31, 2009 and I'll be attending two conferences in A-dam during the summer. Since I'm currently on the job market and mostly applying to European positions it is good to be in Europe rather sooner than later.
Will probably book a flight departing on June 15, hence the countdown clock :-)

Yes, time to count my gains and losses while getting ready to jump ship. Started notifying my utilities companies today, my cell phone and internet providers to be exact.
Rather do this relatively far in advance then run into these silly things when I in the phase of getting rid of all my possessions (e.g., furniture, appliances, kitchen gear, car, etc. etc.).

Basically I'm planning to move transatlantic as I did when I moved to the US: travel and pack light!
Only keeping my books, documents, DVDs and CDs which I'll start shipping off to my parents soonish.
By the time Bas gets here the place will look empty haha!

Sad day in Pittsburgh

Just a day after an immigrant went apeshit in NY we had a dude going crazy over losing his job and fearing president Obama would take away his gun rights.
Three police officers were killed and two more injured.
Will the US ever wake up and realize their gun "rights" should be heavily modified?
I fear not.

More info on this tragic event can be found HERE

EDIT: more info about yesterday's tragic events are HERE

And a rather good article on these events is HERE