Airports & Interviews

Quick question: Why do people line up or huddle around an airport gate before they are called to board? The plane is not leaving until everyone has boarded, so why would you want to sit even longer in a cramped up airplane than is absolutely necessary?

I contemplated these questions and other airport mysteries (like who would pay a $38 service fee for changing Canadian to US currency) while recently sitting in airports for 7 hours and 5 hours on two separate trips.

Fortunately, both flights were worth while since one was a flight home where home made meals and warm fireplaces greeted my new family of 3 and the second was for a job that I am quite interested in at Boston. Luckily, another interview I had arranged did not require a flight so my sanity was slightly saved.

I would say that both interviews went fairly well, and overall I actually enjoyed the experience. Doing a PhD (or any large project I suppose), you tend to lose sight of the accomplishments that you have made along the way. Getting a chance to present my work to an audience that is genuinely interested (not just lab mates that have to be in attendance) does not happen that often and even though it can be a bit stressful, I usually find it rewarding.