This summer was always going to be busy. Between executing my normal post-doctoral responsibilities, starting the ramp up on the ATLAS experiment, and getting ready to move to Dallas, I wasn’t expecting a whole lot of down time. This only reminds me that I should have taken a vacation when I (sort of) had the chance in the spring, but back then it looked like late June or early July were going to be quiet.
I went to CERN a few weeks ago and spent a week at the most recent ATLAS Physics Week. This was a chance to absorb a concentrated dose of ATLAS information, this time focused on physics analysis plans. It was also an opportunity to see faces and meet new people. In his book, “The Black Swan”, Nicholas Taleb speaks allegorically of the library of Umberto Eco, and uses this to illustrate that it is not what you have read that matters, but all that you have collected and still waits to be read. Entering a new collaboration is a funny business, especially when that collaboration is not led by your home nation. First of all, there is the danger of feeling too comfortable, because in this case there are a lot of people I do know. CERN is like “Cheers” – everybody knows your name. But it’s not the people I know that worry me; it’s the people I do not, and I hunger to know more people.
The second danger is that I might act too American. The stereotype of the know-it-all cowboy dogs you as an American. It’s not my style, and it never has been. Sure, I like to think I know a few things, but as a physicist I accept there is far more I do not know. I don’t like to act like I can run the show, but I do like to know my goals. It’s those goals, in the face of overwhelming challenges, that keep you focused on the science.
The third danger is that I might forget that I am the new kid on the block. I’ve been in BaBar for a long time, and my previous forays meant to take me into new communities didn’t work as hoped. So I remain in the collider physics community, but in a new experiment. There are natural assumptions that coming from BaBar, I probably don’t know shit. That’s only partially true, but I don’t want to act like I am some experienced ATLAS person who can tell other peers what to do.
Head down, mouth shut. Sure, I want to get in there and do science. But there are 1000 physicists who’ve been at the table far longer than I, and while pursuing my physics dreams I mustn’t forget that without the respect of my peers I am lost in a people-driven enterprise.
Fresh from CERN, I had a few days to sit quietly before Jodi and I headed to Dallas to shop for a lease, with the intent to target communities where we can imagine one day buying a home. We focused on the Plano/Richardson/Allen area, although Allen was not quite in the original plan. In the end, after just one day and about six homes (and a very patient realtor), we settled on a house rental in Allen, TX, right near highway 75 (which takes us to SMU’s doorstep). We then had to buy appliances, got some good deals, and started thinking about other furniture we’ll need come fall. We stayed at the home of a family friend, who was also very gracious and extremely helpful in our quest to learn about the Dallas area. We’ve already staked out some grocery stores, big chain and high-end, found some coffee shops, located the parks and greenbelts near our home, and built the start of a comfort zone as we acclimate to our new state.
Today, we’re heading back to California. This week, I’ll be “taking a few days off” in Pasadena, as Jodi is working with her collaborators toward a big physics result in their dark matter search. This weekend, I’ll depart for an unplanned trip to Valencia, Spain, where I will participate in the next BaBar collaboration meeting and present a proposal for a new area of research and cooperation within the experiment. After that trip, I will have a week off (Julth 4th!) while Jodi is away in Italy and then at CERN. The week after than, I’ll depart for a short and also unplanned trip to Wisconsin, while Jodi returns from Europe. The week after that we are getting packed up and moved out, and then just a few days after that we’ll hit the road for Texas.
And so begins the transcontinental waltz.
