Now that Finn Kydland and Ed Prescott have been presented with their 2004 Nobel Prizes in Economics, Rob has been heard to say that he has gone from being a "lame duck laureate" to "last year's laureate"! So one year plus one week (or so) has passed since that glorious week in Stockholm. And?
And it still feels like magical fairy dust is sprinkling everywhere. Invitations keep pouring in. We have been travelling to many wonderful spots, trying to choose those who truly seem interested in Rob, not just having another Nobel notch on their belts.
One of the best perks is that the NY Philharmonic saw fit to upgrade our seats to 12th row center! The Met bettered our view too.
One thing I've noticed is that Rob is working on new research projects at an amazing rate. He has research assistants from Finance and Economics at NYU Stern and also one from UCSD. He now has a Morgan Stanley Research Fellow in Financial Econometrics at his new Center for Financial Econometrics and he manages to keep all of them busy. Some folks have asked him why he doesn't stop working now that he's won. He is amused by their query since he feels more excited than ever.
We were invited to a dinner at the Swedish Consulate on December 10 to celebrate Alfred. Rod McKinnon (2003 winner in Chemistry) was there and he seems just as invigorated by the Prize and the year. In contrast, his co-winner, Peter Agre, said he was exhausted. Last year he set a goal to inspire youth to care about science--seems to have tuckered him right out! Hopefully, he'll get a little respite.
So where have we gone? Many European cities, Lugano, Florence, Paris, Madrid, Maastricht, Berne, London...some Asian destinations, Singapore, the Maldives...some of the Americas, Mexico , Canada. I'm sure I've left some out. We've also been around the US.
There have been so many wonderful occasions in his honor from the NYU Gala at the NY Public Library to the one coming up in Philadephia for the American Economic Association and the American Finance Association. Many of the international venues were honorific too. So what does it add up to?
Most importantly, I have seen Rob change into someone who is now acutely aware and interested in the political and financial future of the world. He carefully takes the time to learn about the countries he visits, especially if he thinks that someone will ask questions (and that happens everywhere). When we were in Mexico recently, his news conference was covered in great detail in the press and TV. Who knew that so much personal and intellectual growth could happen after 60! I don't think he's retiring anytime soon.
And did I mention the food and wine? We have eaten at some of the world's most interesting restaurants from little yummy ones to gorgeous 3 star types. Another time, I'll follow up with more details. But, just to say, we had an incredibly interesting meal at Tom Aikens in London last week with Neil Shephard and his lovely expectant wife, Heather Bell...
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