Where In the World Are Dave and Juliego?

That title, of course, should be sung with the faux bass voice that you no doubt recall from junior high days, when, after the heat of lunch, you slipped into the cool air-conditioned classroom that buzzed with the sound of computers to sit under the instruction of Mr. Alfonso in keyboarding and computer science - and with trembling hands inserted your 5.25 inch floppy disk into the drive, typed the relevant command at the DOS prompt, and were greeted with the familiar sound of a new adventure, tinged with the slight shame of quasi-crushing on a woman who existed only on the computer screen: where in the world was Carmen San Diego? (at least that's how I remember it).

Of course, we wouldn't dare to posture ourselves as being as elusive or intriguing as Ms. San Diego, but we have been something of a moving target lately. Though probably most of the four or so of you who still read this blog are aware of our recent peregrinations, some have asked for clarification and it might help to give a brief sketch here. 

Basically, we had been living in Tübingen when I was offered this two-year post in Oxford - to start as soon as possible on condition of a work permit being issued. We waited as long as we could for the work permit, but finally had to move about two weeks before term started. Precisely four days after we arrived back in Oxford we heard the discouraging news: immigration regulations have changed, and the completed doctorate is now essential to receive a work permit. After a few frantic days of trying to figure out what we should do, we decided to move back to Tennessee where I would finish my thesis and we would stay with family (both sides of our family have been amazingly supportive in this awkward time). So, we are here for the time being, and hope to return to Oxford in mid-September - assuming that all goes well with the work permit this time! So, if you happen to live anywhere near anywhere we might be, we'd love to see you! And of course if you have any connections in the upper echelons of the British bureaucracy, put in a good word for my work permit.