Vanity of Vanities, all is Vanity

New comment on your post #393 “Handling rejection”
Author : L. Wu
Comment:
Bah — acceptance and rejection is so often just that, hocus opus

~L

Bah — acceptance and rejection is so often just that, _hocus opus_ !

~L

New comment on your post #391 “Around the world in tralala…”
Author : MPES
Comment:
Wow. Around the world. I’ve even never travelled abroad once.

How does it feel? Which country you like the most?

Wow. Around the world. I’ve even never travelled abroad once.

How does it feel? Which country you like the most?

Here is the ultimate rejection letter (this is old and you might have seen it before – I reject your complaints on the topic). Every once in awhile I fell like sending it to a PC that rejects one of my magnum opera…

_
Dear Admissions Committee:

Having reviewed the many rejection letters I have received in the last few weeks, it is with great regret that I must inform you I am unable to accept your rejection at this time.

This year, after applying to a great many colleges and universities, I received an especially fine crop of rejection letters. Unfortunately, the number of rejections that I can accept is limited.

Each of my rejections was reviewed carefully and on an individual basis. Many factors were taken into account – the size of the institution, student-faculty ratio, location, reputation, costs and social atmosphere.

I am certain that most colleges I applied to are more than qualified to reject me. I am also sure that some mistakes were made in turning away some of these rejections. I can only hope they were few in number.

I am aware of the keen disappointment my decison may bring. Throughout my deliberations, I have kept in mind the time and effort it may have taken for you to reach your decision to reject me.

Keep in mind that at times it was necessary for me to reject even those letters of rejection that would normally have met my traditionally high standards.

I appreciate your having enough interest in me to reject my application. Let me take the opportunity to wish you well in what I am sure will be a successful academic year.

SEE YOU IN THE FALL!

Sincerely,
Paul Devlin
Applicant at Large
_

From here.

My first ateempt to post crashed – so I am trying once more. Thanks for the bitter humor,
Ron Suskind once recounted former Treasury secretary Paul O’Neill’s first meeting with president-elect George W. Bush:

“It was at the Madison hotel. It’s Bush’s first full day in Washington as president-elect, December 18, 2000. O’Neill sits with Cheney and Bush. They have cheeseburgers ordered in advance. That’s the way it works…

“O’Neill’s got a three-page handwritten list of the good reasons why he should not be the Treasury secretary, things that the president ought to think about…

“O’Neill believes global warming is a real, important issue. Some people might not agree with him on that. O’Neill had supported Bush’s father’s tax increase. A lot of people might have a problem with that. He recommended at one point a gasoline tax to reduce consumption and have money left over for the environment. These were all things that could cause trouble. And O’Neill likes to speak his mind. He wanted Bush and Cheney to know that. He comes to his own conclusions, and it might be hard for him to be just another bird in the nest.

“Meanwhile, the cheeseburgers haven’t arrived, so Bush, as O’Neill tells it, kind of snaps up from the conversation and says, ‘Where are the cheeseburgers?’ Andy Card, the new chief of staff, is summoned, and he says to Card, ‘You’re the chief of staff. You think you’re up to getting some cheeseburgers?\’ You know, not friendly. Card all but runs out of the room…\”

New comment on your post #392 “35 of May”
Author : mc
Comment:
dazu Brecht, from his poem on Baal:

Seht, wir wissen, Freunde, daß das alles
Nackter Schwindel ist und untergeht
Doch auch dieses: Daß man besten Falles
Eines Morgens immer oben steht…

Was man haben kann an blauen Himmel
Wind und Mensch, reicht nicht einmal zur Not -
Und auch dieses kriegen nur die Lümmel
Und es reicht nicht und wird schnell zu Kot.

Doch wer nicht griff mit Fluch und Morden
Hat in reinen Händen nichts, sagt Baal -
Denn ihr sterbt, bevor es schal geworden
Und ihr sterbt vor euer letzten Qual.

(translation soon-ish…)

dazu Brecht, from his poem on Baal:

Seht, wir wissen, Freunde, daß das alles
Nackter Schwindel ist und untergeht
Doch auch dieses: Daß man besten Falles
Eines Morgens immer oben steht…

Was man haben kann an blauen Himmel
Wind und Mensch, reicht nicht einmal zur Not –
Und auch dieses kriegen nur die Lümmel
Und es reicht nicht und wird schnell zu Kot.

Doch wer nicht griff mit Fluch und Morden
Hat in reinen Händen nichts, sagt Baal –
Denn ihr sterbt, bevor es schal geworden
Und ihr sterbt vor euer letzten Qual.

(translation soon-ish…)

New comment on your post #392 “35 of May”
Author : m
Comment:
just more euclidean bullshit. kneel to the rising sun!

Here are my current travel plans for my Sabbatical:

Start End Where
Aug 14 . Leave the flatness behind
Aug 15 Sep 13 Arhus, Denmark
Sep 15 Oct 6 Tel-Aviv, Israel
Oct 8 Oct 13 London, UK
Oct 14 Mar 23 Delhi, India
Mar 25 Jun 20(?) KAIST, S. Korea
Jun 21(?) Jun 28(?) San Francisco, US
Jun 29(?) Back to the flatland
Jul 5(?) Aug 5(?) Somewhere in Europe ???

Already bought the around the world flight ticket that covers everything (except the last part). For me, cheapest/easiest thing was to use the ticket offered by American Airlines and its partners (it is called oneworld explorer ticket).