Cornell

So last weekend, the 13th - 15th, I went to Ithaca to visit Ryan at Cornell - specifically, to go to his Glee Club's Homecoming concert. I'd "listened" to him on im from Japan for the past year talk about Glee Club, so before I even knew I'd be back, I'd said I'd go to the concert this year. So Friday afternoon, I packed my bags (complete with yukata for Julia) and took a train east to New Haven, Connecticut. Lev (whose a grad student at Yale) met me at the train station, where we soon learned that Julia's bus from Boston (where she's working this year while applying to med school) was late. By the time we picked Julia up from the station, it was 9:30 pm. Luckily Lev, even (or especially) when sick, drives like a man possessed. We made it to Ithaca in four hours. Picked Ryan up with sleeping bags at the CS department, walked around campus a bit, went to Ryan's house, hung out, then camped out on Ryan's bedroom floor.

The next day we had bagels and tea from CTB (Collegetown Bagels) before heading back to the CS department where Ryan showed us the systems lab where he works and watches movies with friends. We walked around campus again, much more beautiful in the daylight (particularly in fall, I imagine) and climbed into a gorge. His parents, who had driven up from Princeton, met us there, then treated us to dinner in downtown Ithaca. Then we had to rush Ryan back to campus to change into his tux for the concert. The newly renovated and reopened Bailey Hall is beautiful. It wasn't packed, but apparently the Glee Club concert is right under the football game as a big Homecoming event. There were guest performances by 1966 alum, and they premiered two commissioned pieces. They were good of course, the second half better than the first, but mostly it was great to see Ryan, Julia, and Lev again. And the drive back Sunday afternoon through the fall scenery of upstate New York was amazing. Though we spent as much or more time traveling as we did with Ryan in Ithaca, it was worth it. I only wish Lev had let me do some of the driving. He was so sick and exhausted, I felt really bad for him.

Oh, also
as we were saying goodbye to Ryan's family after the concert, his dad gave each of us a hug. When it was my turn, I said "Bye, Dr. Peterson," and he brusquely said "Larry." *sheepish* I know so many professors who want to be called by their first names, but I don't know. Somehow I'm just so uncomfortable with it. As my elders and mentors, I want to use a term of respect. I suppose you could argue that it would be more respectful to do as they ask, but I just can't get over it. Especially when they're the parents of my friends. Friends' parents since childhood have always been "Mr." and "Ms." and I just can't do it any other way. Part of the way I was raised? Part of our culture? Or maybe I just think it's more romantic.