Backup: Sociology 500, a Novel, ch 2 pt 5 -- Letters Home

[JMR201702100915: edits -- fixing late-night writing mistakes]


I thought I'd let you read their {strike} first letters home after the {replace}semester started{with}events of the last chapter{replace.}.

({add}and {add.}Dad and the rest of you guys, too, of course.)

I'm getting settled in, {strike}got {strike.}my{add} class{add.} schedule{add} is{add.} arranged, {add} and I'm {add.}getting started with classes.

The part time job at the hospital is going to work out okay{strike}, at least{strike.} for this semester{add}, at least{add.}. I've told them I can't let it interfere with studies, and they seem to understand{strike},{strike.} as much as management can. The bank is set up okay, there's a decent store within walking distance, and I've got room in my budget for a little socializing.

The rest of my roommates are okay, too. I can understand them, and they seem to understand me{strike} okay, so far{strike.}. {replace}There's a bit of teasing, but it's relatively harmless. Kristie and I can give as good as we get, if necessary, and we can hold our peace, and let them have their fun, too.{with}Some of them talk too much about the guys, but I think Kristie and I can deal with that.{replace.}

Do you remember, Mom, reading about Karel Pratt in a newspaper article you showed me a few weeks back{replace}? Former{with} -- the former{replace.} football player working on his doctorate? That's {replace}that{with}the good-looking{replace.} guy I met in the department office back in January. He's in my education topics class, and a couple {replace}more{with}of others{replace.}.

He seems a bit of a klutz, but not really. And he's sweet. It looks like {add}he {add.}knows how to take care of his responsibilities, and how to watch out for other people{add}, too{add.}.

{repace}He{with}And he{replace.} has a friend, Dan Claymount, who is also a really nice guy. A bit more socially forward, and a real gallant. They were teammates on the football squad here about five years ago. I like his looks, too, for what that counts. And he's in the education topics class{add} with us{add.}, too. Fun {replace}stuff{with}things happening{replace.}, huh?

For some reason, {replace}they{with}Dan and Karel{replace.} don't room together.

{replace}
We've signed up for a ballroom dance class together, Kristie, Dan, Karel, and I. Can you believe it? Ballroom dance.
{with}
The four of us went to Dan's stake's dance Friday night. It was a lot of fun. Both Dan and Karel dance really well. I was thinking it would be fun to take a modern dance class together. But Dan suggested we all sign up for a ballroom dance class, and it looks like that's what we'll do. This is going to be fun.
{replace.}

{add}We also started a study group that grew a little bit. {add.}The four of us will be studying together. A lot.

Mom, I'm a little bit confused. I like both Dan and Karel. A lot. Kristie does, too. She's had this crush on Karel forever, since Dan and Karel were on the football {replace}time{with}team{replace.}. He was her {replace}white knight once{with}White Knight once when she was a damsel-in-distress{replace.}.

I'm really excited about classes and {replace}things{with}school{replace.} this semester. It is all coming together quite nicely.

[JMR201702100915: end-edits -- ]

[JMR201702100915: backup of http://joel-rees-economics.blogspot.com/2017/02/soc500-02-05-letters-home.html because I missed some trivial and important stuff writing in the middle of the night.]

TOC

Previous

I thought I'd let you read their first letters home after the semester started.

---

Dear Mom,

(Dad and the rest of you guys, too, of course.)

I'm getting settled in, got my schedule arranged, getting started with classes.
 
The part time job at the hospital is going to work out okay, at least for this semester. I've told them I can't let it interfere with studies, and they seem to understand, as much as management can. The bank is set up okay, there's a decent store within walking distance, and I've got room in my budget for a little socializing.

I told you about my roommate Kristie already. She's going to be a good friend, just as I thought she would be. She's in my education topics class.

The rest of my roommates are okay, too. I can understand them, and they seem to understand me okay, so far. There's a bit of teasing, but it's relatively harmless. Kristie and I can give as good as we get, if necessary, and we can hold our peace, and let them have their fun, too.

Do you remember, Mom, reading about Karel Pratt in a newspaper article you showed me a few weeks back? Former football player working on his doctorate? That's that guy I met in the department office back in January. He's in my education topics class, and a couple more.

He seems a bit of a klutz, but not really. And he's sweet. It looks like knows how to take care of his responsibilities, and how to watch out for other people.

He has a friend, Dan Claymount, who is also a really nice guy. A bit more socially forward, and a real gallant. They were teammates on the football squad here about five years ago. I like his looks, too, for what that counts. And he's in the education topics class, too. Fun stuff, huh?

For some reason, they don't room together.

We've signed up for a ballroom dance class together, Kristie, Dan, Karel, and I. Can you believe it? Ballroom dance.

The four of us will be studying together. A lot.

Dad, guys, don't read what follows. Only Mom. It's girl stuff. (I know you'll all read it anyway, but I take no responsibility for anything you misunderstand about it.)

Mom, I'm a little bit confused. I like both Dan and Karel. A lot. Kristie does, too. She's had this crush on Karel forever, since Dan and Karel were on the football time. He was her white knight once.

Karel's my age, and Dan is just a little older than Kristie, not that age counts for much.

It just feels comfortable being with them. Well, it's a lot like being with you guys. Near as I can tell, they feel the same.

I'm glad we're going to be studying together so much.

I think I'm going to have to trust God on this one, because I'm getting no clues.

Love to both of you, and Rick and Gary, you two, too.

Bobs

---

Mother, Father,

I'm really excited about classes and things this semester. It is all coming together quite nicely.

I know you wanted me to do the Master's degree closer to home, and I know you're worried about me finding good companionship among these E-P-ists. I don't think there's anything to worry about. I've made three special friends who don't care at all about any kind of social standing -- they've been members of the Church all their lives, and they know I'm a convert, and they treat me as one of their own.

We will be studying together quite a bit this semester, including taking ballroom dance together. I'm sure you will both approve.

Roberta is my roommate. She's a bit older, but she's steady. She's a nurse and a student of dance, and she is doing PhD work in anthropology. She's also been what the Church calls a service missionary -- She spent three years in an island country, teaching about health, hygiene, and Jesus, and being a nurse where they needed nurses. She's already teaching me a lot.

Daniel is a football player. He's just a little older than I. He was on the team here five years ago, and he played professionally after college. But he's a good E-P-ist boy, no drinking, no womanizing, responsible about his money. And he cares about people.

I will admit, he didn't particularly hide his appreciation of my appearance when we met, but he no longer makes an issue of it. He really knows how to behave himself like a gentleman. He is as much of a gentleman as any of the men you have arranged for me to meet in the past, far more than some.

Karel is a bit of a riddle. He's about five years older than I am, about the same age as Roberta. He is also a former football player -- Daniel and he were teammates, and they remain friends.

I met Karel once, a long time ago. Maybe you remember me mentioning him, Mother? He stepped in when a group of boys were misbehaving towards me.

He is not aggressive, but he is no less a gentleman than Daniel, and no less solid, I think, even more responsible than Daniel.

I'm talking a lot about my new friends. It's really nice to have friends I can just be myself with.

I have met my professors and arranged to meet with them regularly to discuss my academic progress. The department head has agreed to report to you, should I fall behind in my classes, per your requests.

I have full confidence you will be pleased with my continuing work here.

Your faithful daughter,

Kristine

---

Hey, guys, it's me!

I'm here safely. Karel is on campus, for some reason. So we're not roomies. But we are hanging out together. And some. Blame it on Karel, but we've met the two most wonderful women in the world. Besides Mom and Shel and Debs, of course. We're studying together and taking a ballroom dance class together and, just maybe, Karel has met someone as cool as you, Sheliah. Maybe me, too. I'll let you know.

love you guys,

Dan

PS -- They're names are Bobbie and Kristie. Debs, Shel, you may have doubts because they are beautiful. But they are really cool. Inner beauty, to match, so, there. Nanners. And they understand the Gospel.

---

Hi.

Just letting you know that the semester has had a good start.

Not much to report, except that Dan and I have made friends with two of the nicest women we've ever met. Bobbie, Roberta, that is, is in the pre-PhD track in anthropology with me, working in island culture. The professors are encouraging us to work together, but we've managed not to let that cause problems. Kristine, who goes by Kristie, is her roommate, and working on a Master's in education, like Dan.

They are both returned missionaries, and we can talk about the doctrines of the Gospel with them.

We have classes together, and we have arranged to study together.

The car is running fine, Dad. I don't yet have any place to tear it down, but the way it's running, I won't need to.

The dorm laundry and cafeteria are just fine, too, Mom.

The dorm phone number is (elided).

Dad, the next time I see you, I want a father's blessing. I'm foreseeing some difficult, but wonderful choices that I'll want God to give me special help with.

Love you all,

K

---

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TOC

Next

---

[There are no previous versions.]

---

[The original of this chapter in the first draft is here: http://free-is-not-free.blogspot.com/2016/05/economics-101-novel-ch04-going-by-four-letters-home.html.]
[JMR201702100915: end-backup]
 

Sociology 500, a Novel, ch 2 pt 5 -- Letters Home

TOC

Previous

I thought I'd let you read their letters home after the events of the last chapter.

---

Dear Mom,

(and Dad and the rest of you guys, too, of course.)

I'm getting settled in, my class schedule is arranged, and I'm getting started with classes.
 
The part time job at the hospital is going to work out okay for this semester, at least. I've told them I can't let it interfere with studies, and they seem to understand as much as management can. The bank is set up okay, there's a decent store within walking distance, and I've got room in my budget for a little socializing.

I told you about my roommate Kristie already. She's going to be a good friend, just as I thought she would be. She's in my education topics class.

The rest of my roommates are okay, too. I can understand them, and they seem to understand me. Some of them talk too much about the guys, but I think Kristie and I can deal with that.

Do you remember, Mom, reading about Karel Pratt in a newspaper article you showed me a few weeks back -- the former football player working on his doctorate? That's the good looking guy I met in the department office back in January. He's in my education topics class, and a couple of others.

He seems a bit of a klutz, but not really. And he's sweet. It looks like he knows how to take care of his responsibilities, and how to watch out for other people, too.

And he has a friend, Dan Claymount, who is also a really nice guy. A bit more socially forward, and a real gallant. They were teammates on the football squad here about five years ago. I like his looks, too, for what that counts. And he's in the education topics class with us, too. Fun things happening, huh?

For some reason, Dan and Karel don't room together.

The four of us went to Dan's stake's dance Friday night. It was a lot of fun. Both Dan and Karel dance really well. I was thinking it would be fun to take a modern dance class together. But Dan suggested we all sign up for a ballroom dance class, and it looks like that's what we'll do. This is going to be fun.

We also started a study group that grew a little bit. The four of us will be studying together. A lot.

Dad, guys, don't read what follows. Only Mom. It's girl stuff. (I know you'll all read it anyway, but I take no responsibility for anything you misunderstand about it.)

Mom, I'm a little bit confused. I like both Dan and Karel. A lot. Kristie does, too. She's had this crush on Karel forever, since Dan and Karel were on the football team. He was her White Knight once when she was a damsel-in-distress.

Karel's my age, and Dan is just a little older than Kristie, not that age counts for much.

It just feels comfortable being with them. Well, it's a lot like being with you guys. Near as I can tell, they feel the same.

I'm glad we're going to be studying together so much.

I think I'm going to have to trust God on this one, because I'm getting no clues.

Love to both of you, and Rick and Gary, you two, too.

Bobs

---

Mother, Father,

I'm really excited about classes and school this semester. It is all coming together quite nicely.

I know you wanted me to do the Master's degree closer to home, and I know you're worried about me finding good companionship among these E-P-ists. I don't think there's anything to worry about. I've made three special friends who don't care at all about any kind of social standing -- they've been members of the Church all their lives, and they know I'm a convert, and they treat me as one of their own.

We will be studying together quite a bit this semester, including taking ballroom dance together. I'm sure you will both approve.

Roberta is my roommate. She's a bit older, but she's steady. She's a nurse and a student of dance, and she is doing PhD work in anthropology. She's also been what the Church calls a service missionary -- She spent three years in an island country, teaching about health, hygiene, and Jesus, and being a nurse where they needed nurses. She's already teaching me a lot.

Daniel is a football player. He's just a little older than I. He was on the team here five years ago, and he played professionally after college. But he's a good E-P-ist boy, no drinking, no womanizing, responsible about his money. And he cares about people.

I will admit, he didn't particularly hide his appreciation of my appearance when we met, but he no longer makes an issue of it. He really knows how to behave himself like a gentleman. He is as much of a gentleman as any of the men you have arranged for me to meet in the past, far more than some.

Karel is a bit of a riddle. He's about five years older than I am, about the same age as Roberta. He is also a former football player -- Daniel and he were teammates, and they remain friends.

I met Karel once, a long time ago. Maybe you remember me mentioning him, Mother? He stepped in when a group of boys were misbehaving towards me.

He is not aggressive, but he is no less a gentleman than Daniel, and no less solid, I think, even more responsible than Daniel.

I'm talking a lot about my new friends. It's really nice to have friends I can just be myself with.

I have met my professors and arranged to meet with them regularly to discuss my academic progress. The department head has agreed to report to you, should I fall behind in my classes, per your requests.

I have full confidence you will be pleased with my continuing work here.

Your faithful daughter,

Kristine

---

Hey, guys, it's me!

I'm here safely. Karel is on campus, for some reason. So we're not roomies. But we are hanging out together. And some. Blame it on Karel, but we've met the two most wonderful women in the world. Besides Mom and Shel and Debs, of course. We're studying together and taking a ballroom dance class together and, just maybe, Karel has met someone as cool as you, Sheliah. Maybe me, too. I'll let you know.

love you guys,

Dan

PS -- They're names are Bobbie and Kristie. Debs, Shel, you may have doubts because they are beautiful. But they are really cool. Inner beauty, to match, so, there. Nanners. And they understand the Gospel.

---

Hi.

Just letting you know that the semester has had a good start.

Not much to report, except that Dan and I have made friends with two of the nicest women we've ever met. Bobbie, Roberta, that is, is in the pre-PhD track in anthropology with me, working in island culture. The professors are encouraging us to work together, but we've managed not to let that cause problems. Kristine, who goes by Kristie, is her roommate, and working on a Master's in education, like Dan.

They are both returned missionaries, and we can talk about the doctrines of the Gospel with them.

We have classes together, and we have arranged to study together.

The car is running fine, Dad. I don't yet have any place to tear it down, but the way it's running, I won't need to.

The dorm laundry and cafeteria are just fine, too, Mom.

The dorm phone number is (elided).

Dad, the next time I see you, I want a father's blessing. I'm foreseeing some difficult, but wonderful choices that I'll want God to give me special help with.

Love you all,

K

---

Previous

TOC

Next

---

[Previous versions backed up here: http://joel-rees-economics.blogspot.com/2017/02/backup-soc500-02-05-letters-home.html.]

---

[The original of this chapter in the first draft is here: http://free-is-not-free.blogspot.com/2016/05/economics-101-novel-ch04-going-by-four-letters-home.html.]

Sociology 500, a Novel, ch 2 pt 1 -- The Boys Talk

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Dan and Karel think they've been through this fire drill before.

---

"Suddenly I'm thinking the apartment off campus is not so great." Dan was grumbling as he and Karel left the Education Building.

"Why is that?"

"Re-you Tenny Hannah. No. Yo-yo Bennie Hannah. What's that Japanese saying?"

"I'm not recognizing anything you are saying, here."

"What happened back there. The best-looking girls in the whole lecture, and there they are sitting either side of you. I should be rooming with you."

"Sheer coincidence."

"And when you found the holes in the other teams' lines on the football field, that was sheer coincidence, too."

"I still don't really understand how I could dig those holes in the defense."

"Drove the coaches up a wall. You'd be out there, totally out of position, looking like you had just wandered onto the field, and suddenly there'd be nobody around you. And when I looked at the right time, if I could get it to you, you'd take the ball and go for what we needed. And the offense, too. You'd be nowhere around as a big play was forming, and suddenly the play would run into you and you'd break it up. Maybe steal the ball while you were at it."

"I think it had something to do with me being in my own world a lot. I had different goals than most of the players. But that wouldn't tell anybody how to do what I was doing. Doesn't explain much."

"That's exactly what the coaches said. Unpredictable. Can't teach others how to do it, can't design plays around it. And it was why the team waived you after the second year."

"They didn't know what to do with me. They wanted something to take to the bank."

"You were just having fun."

"Yep. So, what does this have to do with me ending up, as you think, ryō-te-ni-hana? That was what you were trying to say, wasn't it? Flower in either hand?"

(If you can display Kanji: 「両手に花」)

"Yeah. That one. Uhm. So, ... what does it have to do with ...? Well, ... uhhmm You weren't doing what everyone else does?

"Well, yeah, but what was different?"

"Okay, so I and all the other guys are looking to get a date. And get married. And you are not. You're just having fun."

"And helping others have fun. I think that's why some women feel comfortable around me."

"So all I have to do is quit trying to get a date?"

"I don't think it's quite that simple. The minute I ask a woman to go out, she usually runs away."

"And that's why you still aren't married."

"I guess."

"And we've had this conversation before."

"True. I've gotta get to my next class."

"Okay, 6:30 in the university president's garden, right?"

"Seems a bit early to me, but that's what they said, and we agreed."

"And tell me more about Bobbie."

"Huh? Uh, Later. Gotta go."

"Yeah, later."

---

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Next

---

[There are no previous versions.]

---

[The original of this chapter can be found in the first draft, here: http://free-is-not-free.blogspot.com/2016/05/economics-101-novel-ch04-going-by-four.html.]

Sociology 500, a Romance, ch 1 pt 4 -- They Meet Each Other

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So, how did Karel and Bobbie end up making each others' acquaintance?

How about Dan and Kristie?

---

A few days before classes began, Bobbie was seated in Professor MacVittie's office discussing her preliminary plans for her doctoral thesis.

"I see your plans include spending some time observing and interviewing the local people on-location in," and he named named an island country which has no corollary in our world.

"Yes. I think fieldwork there will better support my thesis than most other places."

"Well, I'm not sure we can make any promises about sending faculty to supervise your fieldwork there. We may have to ask you to adjust those plans."

"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it, I guess."

"It will be easier to arrange supervision if you can combine your fieldwork with other students."

"I had assumed there would be other students to work with out in the field. But that's not guaranteed, is it?" 

"No, it's not. Would you be interested in working with another student who is planning his thesis in a similar area?"

"Uhm, his? Only one other student?"

"Uh, yes. His planned thesis is in island economics, and he wants to go to the same group of islands. I'm thinking you would find quite a bit that you could cooperate on."

"You're not trying to set me up with some guy, are you?"

"Set you up? No. We don't play games like that with students' lives."

Bobbie was not looking convinced.

"This other student is preparing for admission to the PhD track program at about the same time as you, and since he plans include fieldwork in the same islands as you, ..."

"And he's a guy."

"As it turns out. Don't hold it against him. If we can't plan on the two of you working together, we're looking at you being out in the islands alone during most of the fieldwork phase. If you're alone, you'll have no one to back you up in case of emergency."

"And girls shouldn't be out in the big, wide, dangerous world all by themselves."

"Neither should guys, without preparation."

"I am a nurse. I am no longer twenty. I think I can handle myself."

"That kind of attitude can put you in serious danger."

"I don't plan on going out unprepared, either."

"That's good."

Professor and student eyed each other warily, not quite sure where the conversation should go from there.

Professor MacVittie decided to push ahead anyway. "Look, I haven't talked with this other student about it yet. I thought I'd suggest it to you, and only mention it to him if you agreed."

"May I ask his name?"

"Karel Pratt. He"

Bobbie cut him short. "He was a football player here about five years ago." Her expression was unreadable.

"You know him?"

"No."

"Football is another of your interests?"

"Football is applied choreography, so, yes." Bobbie laughed. "But my mother showed me a newspaper article about him a month or so ago. It seems that football players with advanced degrees are a rarity."

"He has a bachelor's in physics and a master's in engineering, played football as a walk-on player."

"So he has a wide range of interests, too."

The professor grinned. "Yeah. A wide range of interests, just like you. I never said a wide range of interests was a bad thing. Quite the opposite, really. Anthropologists need a broad base to work from. I just wanted to make sure you realized you'd need to do a lot of work before you could focus on your thesis."

"Nothing about my being a woman?"

"I didn't say that. Woman do need to take more precautions than men when working in less developed societies."

"I guess I'll agree with that."

"You could help each other, if you could ignore the difference in gender. Especially since you are both interested in so many similar things, it should be easy for you to help each other."

"Similar interests?" Bobbie laughed to herself. "I guess I'm being a little defensive."

"You could meet in my office, if you'd feel more comfortable about it."

"I'd rather not meet him where he knows he has to behave himself. If he's interested, he can contact me. I'll see how he behaves, and we can work out whether we'll work together from there."

"So it's okay if I mention this to him, the next time I see him?"

"Oh, sure, I guess."

"I'll be talking with him on the first day of classes. Will that be too soon?"

"No, that'll be okay."

---

Professor White was not available to review Karel's preparation for pre-PhD work, so he had scheduled a visit with Professor MacVittie on the first day of classes. During their visit, they talked about fieldwork, and the professor suggested he consider working with Bobbie. Karel said he'd talk with her and see.

The question of how he would contact her didn't really occur to him until after he left Professor MacVittie's office.

After his meeting with the professor, he went to his first class, a graduate-level cross-discipline survey of education theories and topics. It would be under the direction of a team of three professors from different departments, with regular guest lecturers.

As he entered the lecture room, Karel looked for a seat at the front. PhD candidates were expected to show leadership, and he rightly assumed that the professors who would approve his candidacy and thesis would not perceive sitting in the back as showing leadership.

Whether the supervising professors would be right in such perception is a separate topic of consideration, which we will set aside.

As he moved to the front of the room, he saw some students he knew and greeted them. He also greeted some he hadn't yet met as he proceeded to the empty front row. Choosing a seat slightly to the left of center, he laughed silently to himself at the spurious, but accurate, potential political interpretation of his choice of seat.

Political left and right seem to have about the same meanings in the world of this novel, as well.

Yeah, Karel was a little distracted. He might have had more than one reason to choose the empty front row.

He didn't notice a petite, very pretty blonde who had come into the room after him. She waited, looking around the room, as he moved to the front. When Karel had sat down, she made her way to the seat to Karel's right. Heads turned, but she didn't pay any attention.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

If you called her a blonde bombshell, not many would disagree. She, herself, would. It wasn't her fault that some men gave her attention she didn't seek.

"Uhhn, no. No. Go ahead." Karel was still distracted.

"I'm Kristie Person, by the way," she said as she sat down. "I'm in the Master's program in education."

"Hi. Karel Pratt. Pre-PhD, Anthropology." After an awkward pause, he asked, "So this course is in your primary field?"

"Yes. I'm coming in from a bachelor's in PE, so my professors told me to take the survey class."

"I see."

"Karel, so nice to see you here!" Karel was not surprised by the voice behind him.

"Dan! You made it." Karel turned and slapped hands with Dan.

"So introduce me to your friend!" Dan said as he sat down on the other side of Kristie.

"I just met her, myself. Kristine Pierson. Right?"

Kristie was a bit non-plussed, but smiled anyway. "Sort of. My name is Kristine, but everyone calls me Kristie. And Person and Pierson are more or less the same name in Sweden."

Karel grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

"You'll have to forgive my friend. He can be a bit of a goofball at times. I'm Dan Claymount. Karel and I used to play football together. He was much less clumsy on the football field."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Oh, that's right. I remember now." Now she remembers? We'll wink at that. "Dan was the quarterback five years ago, and you were the rover who made all the big plays."

The position of rover is a difficult position, as you can imagine. A rover has to have a grasp of what is happening with three balls at once, and must be fully prescient about where he can make the most effective play next.

It's also a bit of a thankless position. Even when the big play is made, someone probably could have made a bigger play if the rover had been there for them.

"He sure was." Dan concurred with Kristie's memory.

"No, I wasn't. Coach saved me to mix things up when we got stuck. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't."

"You're just being modest. I watched a lot of your games."

"Well, so you're a fan of the school's football program, I take it?" Karel tried to direct the topic of conversation away from himself.

"Yes! Football is one of my favorite sports!"

One of the professors stood up just then and greeted the students.

"Welcome, to this year's graduate survey in education topics. I'm Professor Donival. Please check your schedules to be sure you are in the right place." And he proceeded to explain the syllabus and assignment schedule.

And all of the students in the room busied themselves taking notes.

After about ten minutes, Professor Donival shifted from the course outline to the material for first lecture.

After another ten minutes, Karel became aware that the seat to his left was now occupied, and he looked over and nodded to the woman who was sitting there taking notes. Turning back to the blackboard, he forgot for a moment to breath. Mentally shaking himself, he deliberately returned his focus to the lecture.

At the end of the lecture, Karel turned again to his left. "I have notes from the first twenty minutes, if you'd like to copy them," he offered, opening to the first page in his notebook.

"Thanks. That would be nice," she said, and started copying. We missed her reaction when she sat down by Karel, but when she read Karel's name on the notebook, she was thinking to herself something like, "Of course it would be."

"You could copy my notes back at the apartment, Bobbie," Kristie was being helpful.

"You two are roommates?" Dan asked.

"Yes, actually. If you don't have time, Karel, ...," Bobbie said, feeling, but not showing, a bit of surprise at how easy it felt to say his name.

"No problem. Get it while it's fresh."

"Well, are you going to introduce me, Karel?" Dan prompted.

"Oh. Bobbie Whitmer, meet Dan Claymount. He and I were on the football team about five years ago. Should I tell her what you are doing your masters work in, Dan?" Karel was anything but surprised at how pleasant it felt to say her name.

"Underwater basketweaving," Dan replied.

Bobbie looked up, amused. "Sports education, with a coaching emphasis."

"How did you know?"

"Read your mind. Karel's mind is not as transparent."

"I see." Dan clearly did not see. For him, not being sure of his position was a rare thing, both on the football field and off, and he felt himself rising to the challenge. "Say, is anyone going to the opening social tonight?"

"Maybe we can make it a foursome?" Kristie rose to the challenge.

What Bobbie and Karel were thinking at this point would be hard to say. For separate reasons, they had learned to go with the flow in social situations, waiting for opening gambits to play out before deciding which way to move.

And they were as surprised as I think we are at how natural it felt for them to suddenly be old friends.

"Sounds good. What do you think, Bobbie?"

"Why not?"

---

Previous

TOC

Next

---

[Previous versions backed up here: http://joel-rees-economics.blogspot.com/2017/02/backup-soc500-01-04-meet-each-other.html.]

---

[The original of this chapter can be found here: http://free-is-not-free.blogspot.com/2016/05/economics-101-novel-ch03-introducing.html.]

Backup: Sociology 500, a Romance, ch 1 pt 4 -- They Meet Each Other

[JMR201704121526: metadata-edit -- Name.]
Sociology 500, a {replace}Novel{with}Romance{replace.}, ch 1 pt 4 -- They Meet Each Other

[JMR201704121526: end-metadata-edit.]
 
[JMR201702051733: edit -- That's not a department social.]

The position of rover is a difficult position, as you can imagine. {replace}One{with}A rover{replace.} has to have a grasp of what is happening with three balls at once, and must be fully prescient about where he can make the most effective play next.

It's also a bit of a thankless position. Even when the big play is made, someone {add}probably {add.}could have made a bigger play if the rover had been there for them.

"I see." Dan clearly did not see. For him, not being sure of his position was a rare thing, both on the football field and off, and he felt himself rising to the challenge. "Say, is anyone going to the {strike}department{strike.} opening social tonight?"

[JMR201702051733: end-edit]

[JMR201702050135: edit -- Admit Dan and Kristie are also protagonists in this.]
{add}
How about Dan and Kristie?
{add.}

[JMR201702050135: end-edit]

[JMR201702041226: edits -- Added better reasons for suggesting Bobbie and Karel work together, corrected some sloppy writing. ]

"I see your plans include spending some time observing and interviewing the local people on-location {replace}in the islands."{with}in," and he named named an island country which has no corollary in our world.{replace.}

{replace}"Yes, I'm hoping to support my thesis with fieldwork."
{with}
"Yes. I think fieldwork there will better support my thesis than most other places."
{replace.}

"Well, I'm not sure we can make any promises about sending faculty to supervise your fieldwork{add} there{add.}. We may have to ask you to adjust those plans."

"No, it's not. {replace}You might{with}Would you{replace.} be interested in working with another student who is planning his thesis in a similar area?"

"As it turns out. Don't hold it against him. If we can't plan on the two of you working together, we're looking at you being out in the islands alone during most of the fieldwork phase. If you're alone, you'll have no {replace}backup{with}one to back you up{replace.} in case of emergency."

The question of how he would contact her didn't really occur to him until after he left Professor {replace}White's{with}MacVittie's{replace.} office.

After another ten minutes, Karel became aware that the seat to his left was now occupied, and he looked over and nodded to the woman who was {strike}now{strike.} sitting there taking notes. Turning back to the blackboard, he forgot for a moment to breath. Mentally shaking himself, he deliberately returned his focus to the lecture.

"I see." Dan clearly did not see. For him, not being sure of his position was a rare thing, both on the football field and off, and he felt himself rising to the challenge. "Say, is anyone going to the {add}department {add.}opening social tonight?"

And they were as surprised as I think we are at how natural it felt {add}for them {add.}to suddenly be old friends.

[JMR201702041226: end-edits]

[JMR201702041221: backup of http://joel-rees-economics.blogspot.com/2017/02/soc500-01-04-meet-each-other.html before fixing the fieldwork location issues.]

TOC

Previous

So, how did Karel and Bobbie end up making each others' acquaintance?

---

A few days before classes began, Bobbie was seated in Professor MacVittie's office discussing her preliminary plans for her doctoral thesis.

"I see your plans include spending some time observing and interviewing the local people on-location in the islands."

"Yes, I'm hoping to support my thesis with fieldwork."

"Well, I'm not sure we can make any promises about sending faculty to supervise your fieldwork. We may have to ask you to adjust those plans."

"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it, I guess."

"It will be easier to arrange supervision if you can combine your fieldwork with other students."

"I had assumed there would be other students to work with out in the field. But that's not guaranteed, is it?" 

"No, it's not. You might be interested in working with another student who is planning his thesis in a similar area?"

"Uhm, his? Only one other student?"

"Uh, yes. His planned thesis is in island economics, and he wants to go to the same group of islands. I'm thinking you would find quite a bit that you could cooperate on."

"You're not trying to set me up with some guy, are you?"

"Set you up? No. We don't play games like that with students' lives."

Bobbie was not looking convinced.

"This other student is preparing for admission to the PhD track program at about the same time as you, and since he plans include fieldwork in the same islands as you, ..."

"And he's a guy."

"As it turns out. Don't hold it against him. If we can't plan on the two of you working together, we're looking at you being out in the islands alone during most of the fieldwork phase. If you're alone, you'll have no backup in case of emergency."

"And girls shouldn't be out in the big, wide, dangerous world all by themselves."

"Neither should guys, without preparation."

"I am a nurse. I am no longer twenty. I think I can handle myself."

"That kind of attitude can put you in serious danger."

"I don't plan on going out unprepared, either."

"That's good."

Professor and student eyed each other warily, not quite sure where the conversation should go from there.

Professor MacVittie decided to push ahead anyway. "Look, I haven't talked with this other student about it yet. I thought I'd suggest it to you, and only mention it to him if you agreed."

"May I ask his name?"

"Karel Pratt. He"

Bobbie cut him short. "He was a football player here about five years ago." Her expression was unreadable.

"You know him?"

"No."

"Football is another of your interests?"

"Football is applied choreography, so, yes." Bobbie laughed. "But my mother showed me a newspaper article about him a month or so ago. It seems that football players with advanced degrees are a rarity."

"He has a bachelor's in physics and a master's in engineering, played football as a walk-on player."

"So he has a wide range of interests, too."

The professor grinned. "Yeah. A wide range of interests, just like you. I never said a wide range of interests was a bad thing. Quite the opposite, really. Anthropologists need a broad base to work from. I just wanted to make sure you realized you'd need to do a lot of work before you could focus on your thesis."

"Nothing about my being a woman?"

"I didn't say that. Woman do need to take more precautions than men when working in less developed societies."

"I guess I'll agree with that."

"You could help each other, if you could ignore the difference in gender. Especially since you are both interested in so many similar things, it should be easy for you to help each other."

"Similar interests?" Bobbie laughed to herself. "I guess I'm being a little defensive."

"You could meet in my office, if you'd feel more comfortable about it."

"I'd rather not meet him where he knows he has to behave himself. If he's interested, he can contact me. I'll see how he behaves, and we can work out whether we'll work together from there."

"So it's okay if I mention this to him, the next time I see him?"

"Oh, sure, I guess."

"I'll be talking with him on the first day of classes. Will that be too soon?"

"No, that'll be okay."

---

Professor White was not available to review Karel's preparation for pre-PhD work, so he had scheduled a visit with Professor MacVittie on the first day of classes. During their visit, they talked about fieldwork, and the professor suggested he consider working with Bobbie. Karel said he'd talk with her and see.

The question of how he would contact her didn't really occur to him until after he left Professor White's office.

After his meeting with the professor, he went to his first class, a graduate-level cross-discipline survey of education theories and topics. It would be under the direction of a team of three professors from different departments, with regular guest lecturers.

As he entered the lecture room, Karel looked for a seat at the front. PhD candidates were expected to show leadership, and he rightly assumed that the professors who would approve his candidacy and thesis would not perceive sitting in the back as showing leadership.

Whether the supervising professors would be right in such perception is a separate topic of consideration, which we will set aside.

As he moved to the front of the room, he saw some students he knew and greeted them. He also greeted some he hadn't yet met as he proceeded to the empty front row. Choosing a seat slightly to the left of center, he laughed silently to himself at the spurious, but accurate, potential political interpretation of his choice of seat.

Political left and right seem to have about the same meanings in the world of this novel, as well.

Yeah, Karel was a little distracted. He might have had more than one reason to choose the empty front row.

He didn't notice a petite, very pretty blonde who had come into the room after him. She waited, looking around the room, as he moved to the front. When Karel had sat down, she made her way to the seat to Karel's right. Heads turned, but she didn't pay any attention.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

If you called her a blonde bombshell, not many would disagree. She, herself, would. It wasn't her fault that some men gave her attention she didn't seek.

"Uhhn, no. No. Go ahead." Karel was still distracted.

"I'm Kristie Person, by the way," she said as she sat down. "I'm in the Master's program in education."

"Hi. Karel Pratt. Pre-PhD, Anthropology." After an awkward pause, he asked, "So this course is in your primary field?"

"Yes. I'm coming in from a bachelor's in PE, so my professors told me to take the survey class."

"I see."

"Karel, so nice to see you here!" Karel was not surprised by the voice behind him.

"Dan! You made it." Karel turned and slapped hands with Dan.

"So introduce me to your friend!" Dan said as he sat down on the other side of Kristie.

"I just met her, myself. Kristine Pierson. Right?"

Kristie was a bit non-plussed, but smiled anyway. "Sort of. My name is Kristine, but everyone calls me Kristie. And Person and Pierson are more or less the same name in Sweden."

Karel grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

"You'll have to forgive my friend. He can be a bit of a goofball at times. I'm Dan Claymount. Karel and I used to play football together. He was much less clumsy on the football field."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Oh, that's right. I remember now." Now she remembers? We'll wink at that. "Dan was the quarterback five years ago, and you were the rover who made all the big plays."

The position of rover is a difficult position, as you can imagine. One has to have a grasp of what is happening with three balls at once, and must be fully prescient about where he can make the most effective play next.

It's also a bit of a thankless position. Even when the big play is made, someone could have made a bigger play if the rover had been there for them.

"He sure was." Dan concurred with Kristie's memory.

"No, I wasn't. Coach saved me to mix things up when we got stuck. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't."

"You're just being modest. I watched a lot of your games."

"Well, so you're a fan of the school's football program, I take it?" Karel tried to direct the topic of conversation away from himself.

"Yes! Football is one of my favorite sports!"

One of the professors stood up just then and greeted the students.

"Welcome, to this year's graduate survey in education topics. I'm Professor Donival. Please check your schedules to be sure you are in the right place." And he proceeded to explain the syllabus and assignment schedule.

And all of the students in the room busied themselves taking notes.

After about ten minutes, Professor Donival shifted from the course outline to the material for first lecture.

After another ten minutes, Karel became aware that the seat to his left was now occupied, and he looked over and nodded to the woman who was now sitting there taking notes. Turning back to the blackboard, he forgot for a moment to breath. Mentally shaking himself, he deliberately returned his focus to the lecture.

At the end of the lecture, Karel turned again to his left. "I have notes from the first twenty minutes, if you'd like to copy them," he offered, opening to the first page in his notebook.

"Thanks. That would be nice," she said, and started copying. We missed her reaction when she sat down by Karel, but when she read Karel's name on the notebook, she was thinking to herself something like, "Of course it would be."

"You could copy my notes back at the apartment, Bobbie," Kristie was being helpful.

"You two are roommates?" Dan asked.

"Yes, actually. If you don't have time, Karel, ...," Bobbie said, feeling, but not showing, a bit of surprise at how easy it felt to say his name.

"No problem. Get it while it's fresh."

"Well, are you going to introduce me, Karel?" Dan prompted.

"Oh. Bobbie Whitmer, meet Dan Claymount. He and I were on the football team about five years ago. Should I tell her what you are doing your masters work in, Dan?" Karel was anything but surprised at how pleasant it felt to say her name.

"Underwater basketweaving," Dan replied.

Bobbie looked up, amused. "Sports education, with a coaching emphasis."

"How did you know?"

"Read your mind. Karel's mind is not as transparent."

"I see." Dan clearly did not see. For him, not being sure of his position was a rare thing, both on the football field and off, and he felt himself rising to the challenge. "Say, is anyone going to the opening social tonight?"

"Maybe we can make it a foursome?" Kristie rose to the challenge.

What Bobbie and Karel were thinking at this point would be hard to say. For separate reasons, they had learned to go with the flow in social situations, waiting for opening gambits to play out before deciding which way to move.

And they were as surprised as I think we are at how natural it felt to suddenly be old friends.

"Sounds good. What do you think, Bobbie?"

"Why not?"

---

Previous

TOC

Next

---

[No backup of previous versions yet.]

---

[The original of this chapter can be found here: http://free-is-not-free.blogspot.com/2016/05/economics-101-novel-ch03-introducing.html.]
[JMR201702041221: end-backup] 

Sociology 500, a Romance, ch 1 pt 3 -- Football and a Little History

TOC

Previous

You may be wondering which football it was that Dan and Karel played. Maybe not.

Well, I think it's interesting, so I'll tell you about it.

It's closer to our world's American Football or Australian Rules Football than to either Soccer or Rugby. But there is a big difference.

Some time in ancient history, a wise king had decreed that there would be no games played against an opponent. The language of that kingdom had a singular article, think "un" or "una" in spanish, and the king used it in his decree -- not against "an" opponent.

So the people started arranging their games against multiple opponents. Since multiple opponents implies cooperation, fanatical partisanship was significantly reduced, and the games became much less bloody, much less wasteful of the human resources of the kingdom.

As ball games replaced games with the sword, club, and lance, ball games also tended to be played with multiple teams in a match.

The football Dan and Karel played had a circular field, with three end-zones and three goals. Even though the flow of the game for any one ball would be stop-and-go, with downs, punts, goal-kicks, touchdowns, kickoffs, etc., there would be three balls in play at any particular time during the game.

Yes, the ball was an ovoid, to make it roll funny.

Each team had twenty-two players. In the most common configuration, ten would be defending their own goal, and the other twelve would be divided six-and-six to attack the other two goals. To have any hope of successfully attacking either opponent's goal, their offense would have to team up with players from the other opponent's team.

Thus, the play tended to be rather cooperative, and the spectators tended to root for all the teams instead of just for their own. The whole attitude of the game tended to resemble a carnival more than a war, and tailgate parties would often include fans of both of the opponents' teams.

Another configuration, common in the early years of the game, but less common in Dan's and Karel's day, was to have nine players on defense, to free one player to be a rover.

The rover was allowed to go anywhere on the field at any time. He could run with the ball, pass it, or kick it. The three things he was not allowed to do were (1) to take the snap from center on a down, (2) to run the ball over an opponent's goal line in either direction, or (3) to receive the ball to score. He could pass it in or kick it for a score, but he could not receive it for a score or run it in. If he received the ball when he was behind the goal line, he would have to pass, not run, it out before someone else could try to score.

Why do I think this is important enough to mention here? We shall see.

Previous

TOC

Next

---

[Backup and edit history are here: http://joel-rees-economics.blogspot.com/2017/02/backup-soc500-01-03-football.html.]

---

[This chapter was not in the rough draft. It might come around chapter 02, http://free-is-not-free.blogspot.com/2016/05/economics-101-novel-ch02-introducing.html, or chapter 03, http://free-is-not-free.blogspot.com/2016/05/economics-101-novel-ch03-introducing.html.]

Backup: Sociology 500, a Romance, ch 1 pt 3 -- Football and a Little History

[JMR201704121513: metadata edit -- annotation.]

[This chapter was not in the rough draft.{add} It might come around chapter 02, http://free-is-not-free.blogspot.com/2016/05/economics-101-novel-ch02-introducing.html, or chapter 03, http://free-is-not-free.blogspot.com/2016/05/economics-101-novel-ch03-introducing.html.{add.}]

[JMR201704121513: end metadata edit.]

[JMR201704121455: metadata edit -- Name.]

Sociology 500, a {replace}Novel{with}Romance{replace.}, ch 1 pt 3 -- Football and a Little History

[JMR201704121455: end metadata edit.]

[JMR201702261153: backup of http://joel-rees-economics.blogspot.com/2017/02/soc500-01-03-football.html.]

TOC

Previous

You may be wondering which football it was that Dan and Karel played. Maybe not.

Well, I think it's interesting, so I'll tell you about it.

It's closer to our world's American Football or Australian Rules Football than to either Soccer or Rugby. But there is a big difference.

Some time in ancient history, a wise king had decreed that there would be no games played against an opponent. The language of that kingdom had a singular article, think "un" or "una" in spanish, and the king used it in his decree -- not against "an" opponent.

So the people started arranging their games against multiple opponents. Since multiple opponents implies cooperation, fanatical partisanship was significantly reduced, and the games became much less bloody, much less wasteful of the human resources of the kingdom.

As ball games replaced games with the sword, club, and lance, ball games also tended to be played with multiple teams in a match.

The football Dan and Karel played had a circular field, with three end-zones and three goals. Even though the flow of the game for any one ball would be stop-and-go, with downs, punts, goal-kicks, touchdowns, kickoffs, etc., there would be three balls in play at any particular time during the game.

Yes, the ball was an ovoid, to make it roll funny.

Each team had twenty-two players. In the most common configuration, ten would be defending their own goal, and the other twelve would be divided six-and-six to attack the other two goals. To have any hope of successfully attacking either opponent's goal, their offense would have to team up with players from the other opponent's team.

Thus, the play tended to be rather cooperative, and the spectators tended to root for all the teams instead of just for their own. The whole attitude of the game tended to resemble a carnival more than a war, and tailgate parties would often include fans of both of the opponents' teams.

Another configuration, common in the early years of the game, but less common in Dan's and Karel's day, was to have nine players on defense, to free one player to be a rover.

The rover was allowed to go anywhere on the field at any time. He could run with the ball, pass it, or kick it. The three things he was not allowed to do were (1) to take the snap from center on a down, (2) to run the ball over an opponent's goal line in either direction, or (3) to receive the ball to score. He could pass it in or kick it for a score, but he could not receive it for a score or run it in. If he received the ball when he was behind the goal line, he would have to pass, not run, it out before someone else could try to score.

Why do I think this is important enough to mention here? We shall see.

Previous

TOC

Next

---

[No backup of previous versions yet.]

---

[This chapter was not in the rough draft.]
[JMR201702261153: end backup.]
 

Sociology 500, a Romance, ch 1 pt 2 -- Introducing Karel

TOC

Previous

Two more people we want to meet, here.

---

Karel turned the ignition key off. As his ears adjusted to the lack of engine noise, he was able to hear the birds singing in his friend, Dan's family's garden. He sat back and relaxed.

The door of the house opened and Dan stuck his head out the door. "Hey, Karel, how the heck are you?"

"Not bad for just finishing a five hour drive. How about you? Got your stuff?"

"Yeah, I got my stuff, but come on in and say hi to the family. My little sister's dying to see you again."

Two voices chorused in unison from inside the house. "Dan!"

Karel opened the car door and stretched his legs. "Your little sister ignores me whenever I come."

Dan ducked back in and came outside, carrying a briefcase and a backpack. "Unless you give her a ride on your shoulders," he replied.

The door opened again behind Dan, and a seventeen year old girl came running out and slapped the back of her brother's head. He just grinned.

Karel stood up and walked around the car, and gave the girl a hug. "My you've grown, Sheliah. Wanna piggy-back ride?"

"Mom says I'm getting too old."

"Ah well. Are you gonna marry me when you turn twenty?"

"Mom says you have to find someone your own age before then."

"Darn. She's probably right about that, though."

"When are you gonna find someone as cool as me?"

"That's a tall order. But I'll let you know when I do."

Karel went in and said hi to the Claymount family while Dan threw his stuff on the back seat. After catching up on family news for a few minutes he and Dan got in the car and headed out of town.

Dan had promised to drive at least half of the way. But Karel knew Dan would be tired from the long bus ride home, and he wanted to leave enough time to stop for a nap somewhere on the road.

They talked, and Karel joked, "I don't know whether I'm better friends with you or your family sometimes."

"Yeah. We're too busy to keep up with each other. Sure is too bad the team waived you after your second year."

"Too bad about missing the playoffs these last two years."

"I told Jack when he decided to drop you from the team that we just didn't have the depth without you. No depth, no risks, no forward progress."

 "He obviously thought he had the depth without me."

"I don't think that was it. He was just mad at you for sticking to principles. That time you asked him to take down the nude centerfolds in the locker room really bugged him."

"That and my unpredictable nature on the field."

"Heh. Well, yeah. Unpredictable. But we've been watching reels of other teams. The really good players don't always stick to the patterns."

"Football can't last forever."

"Which is why I let you talk me into checking out grad school with you, right?"

"Right. Meet any interesting women since we talked last?"

"Lots, but it seems they either are not interested in football, or they aren't interested in E-P-ism. How about you?"

"Same as always."

The conversation continued for a while and Dan drifted off to sleep. About midnight, Karel pulled the car off the road at a rest stop. Dan rolled out a sleeping bag in the back seat and Karel did the same in the front, and they both slept until the pre-dawn dusk woke them up. A short walk along the highway helped them clear their heads, and then they got back on the road.

We used to do that in our world, too, up until the mid-1980s. We can't do it any more. Too many problems with criminal activities going on in the middle of the night, so the highway police have to wake you up and tell you to move on.

But in the time frame of this story in the world of this novel, it was standard operating procedure for students traveling the long distances between home and college, especially for male students.

---

A bit after nine in the morning, Karel parked the car in a school parking lot and and woke Dan up.

"Hey, we're here," he said, shaking him gently by the shoulder.

Even after sleeping, Dan had not been feeling safe behind the wheel. So Karel had driven on in the rest of the way.

"Oh, man. Sorry I couldn't wake up."

"That's okay. You can drive on the road back."

"Has it been five years?"

"Five for you. Since I finished up my master's during the off-season while we were playing pro, it's only been three for me."

"Yeah. So, I'm going to the PE department to look at a graduate degree in sports education while you check out the anthropology department, right?"

"That's the plan."

"And you'll come down to the PE department to look at studying dance education as an option to anthropology, right?"

"Right. So we'll meet down there and then go get some lunch."

---

And that is how it was that Karel was sitting in the anthropology department offices, tired from the long drive, trying to read application form instructions, when Bobbie came in that morning. And why he wasn't there when she came back.

He did get an afternoon appointment to talk with a member of the faculty before he left.

---

"Hey, Karel, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing."

"You look like you just lost a friend."

"Just kicking myself for not trying to get a girl's phone number."

"That happens."

"Didn't even introduce myself. I only said something stupid like 'Nice day.'"

"Heh. Hey, don't sweat it. If it was meant to be, you'll get another chance."

"You should talk."

"True. Girls just don't understand us boys. Did you get an interview?"

"Got an appointment for the afternoon."

"Me, too. Are you going to go in and ask about the dance program or what?"

"I'm going, I'm going."

In the dance office, one of the professors was available to talk, but she was not encouraging.

"We just don't have the expertise to help you with teaching dance to football players, and, frankly, I don't think the football body would train well in dance. Getting the turnout would be nearly impossible."

"I know it would be pioneering, but I'm willing to put in the effort."

"I really hate to be so discouraging, but I can't promise that any of the faculty here would be able to put in enough effort to help you. We're up to our necks in our own curriculum."

Karel must not have hidden his disappointment well.

She continued, "Look, you have another option you're considering, right?"

"Yeah. Anthropology."

"Maybe that's going to be a stretch for you, too, but I think it will be less of a stretch."

On his way out of the office, he noticed a poster on the wall.

"What's this?"

"Oh, that's from several years back. A master's candidate from," and she named the school Karel remembered Bobbie saying she'd gotten her master's from in the morning, "came to do some workshops in modern dance here. It was very exciting. I keep the poster as a reminder."

"Roberta Whitmer."

"Do you know her?"

"Know her? Can't say that I do."

After that, they went up to the school cafeteria, showed their alumni cards, and got lunch. While they were eating, they talked about the morning.

"I can't believe she just basically turned me down flat."

"You've got to quit letting women walk all over you like that." Dan paused and thought while chewing. "But on the other hand, maybe that girl you didn't really meet this morning is part of your destiny."

For some reason, Karel had not mentioned her name, nor had he mentioned her other degrees. And he refrained from mentioning the poster, as well.

"Well, let's go to our interviews."

Karel's interview was with a Professor White. When Karel gave him his CV to look at, he scanned it, muttering, "mission, football, instrumentation technician, military, engineering, semiconductors, ... . Lots of experience. I don't see a connection. Why do you suddenly want to get a PhD in Anthropology?"

"When I was a missionary in," and he named the same mission that Bobbie had named, "I thought the islanders I worked among had an intuitive understanding of the cultural basis of economics and management. At that semiconductor company, I watched managers who seemed to have no interest in things cultural tear the company apart with bad management and worse economics. I think their lack of interest in the human factor was the proximate cause of their bad management."

"I see. So, what do you intend to research?"

"I want to describe the human factors of management and the simplified economic models they operate under."

At the time of this story, management was still not a separate field of studies at most universities in the world of this novel.

"Okay, that sounds like something we can work from. Tell me more about your background, so I can get an idea of the holes we need to fill."

And Karel explained how he had spent a lot of time over the last year working through anthropology texts and management theory books, commenting on how various popular philosophies seemed to induce a blindness towards management listening to what the workers have to say.

Of course, the holes Karel had to fill were different from Bobbie's. Where he could just monitor the senior-level anthropology research methodologies class, he would have to take the actual anthropologist's introduction to medicine and physiology.

And he also committed to correspond with Professor White for further advice as he prepared to begin coursework in the fall.

When they left, later in the afternoon, they both had the necessary forms and had made the necessary contacts.

Dan drove on the way back, and they arrived at his home around midnight. Karel crashed in Dan's room for five hours before driving home in the morning.

On the way home, he complained a bit to God:

"Why didn't I try harder to strike up a conversation with her?"

It didn't feel right, did it?

"If I were smooth like Dan, I could have gotten her phone number, I'm sure. Why can't I be smooth like him?"

Dan said it himself, he's not particularly successful at getting married yet, either.

Karel didn't have a quick response to that. Further bickering with his conscience and his social senses and more fussing with the impressions he was getting led him back to the same place. Not asking for her phone number was the right thing.

Ultimately, he said, "Well, Father, like Dan said, if it's something that should happen for me, I'd sure like another chance to make her acquaintance."

He could have described the response he felt as a galactic "Hmmmm."

---

Both Dan and Karel spent a lot of the time over the next eight months preparing to go back to school.

They made another trip about four weeks after their first trip, to hand-deliver their applications, because it was a little close to the deadline. Even though they were there the same day as Bobbie, Karel didn't meet her again. Dan didn't run into her, either, now that I mention it.

Karel wanted to live on campus, and Dan wanted to live off campus, so after they submitted their applications, they each spent part of the day separately arranging for housing and checking out possible work opportunities.

---

I explained a little about what a "mission" is, when we met Bobbie.

I forgot to mention there that a missionary's field of labor, the area where a group of missionaries serve, is also called a "mission" in E-P-ist parlance.

There are two parallel organizations within the Church. One is focused on the ministry to-and-of the members, and one is focused on the missionary work. 

In the latter organization, a "mission" is a physical area and the missionaries assigned to work there. The country corollary to Japan, for instance, would much later be divided into seven physical areas called missions, and the country corollary to the Philippines would be divided into twenty-one. Each of those missions would have around fifty to a hundred fifty missionaries working in it.

At the time Karel would have served his mission in the world of this novel, the two countries corollary to the Philippines and Japan were both within a single mission. Later, during the time that Bobbie would have been serving her mission, they were split. Both served for a time in the Japan and the Philippines of their world. But they spent most of their time in other islands which are a bit harder to relate to places in our world.

---

Previous

TOC

Next

---

[This part is backed up here: http://joel-rees-economics.blogspot.com/2017/02/backup-soc500-01-02-karel.html.]

---

[The original of this chapter can be found here: http://free-is-not-free.blogspot.com/2016/05/economics-101-novel-ch02-introducing.html.]

Backup: Sociology 500, a Romance, ch 1 pt 2 -- Introducing Karel

[JMR201704121434: metadata edits -- Name.]

Sociology 500, a {replace}Novel{with}Romance{replace.}, ch 1 pt 2 -- Introducing Karel

[JMR201704121434: end metadata edit.]


[JMR201702261143: edits -- mission details]

At the time Karel would have served his mission in the world of this novel, the two countries corollary to the Philippines and Japan were both within a single mission. Later, {replace}when{with}during the time that{replace.} Bobbie would have been serving her mission, they {replace}would have been separate{with}were split{replace.}. Both served {replace}briefly in their Japan and in their Philippines, but{with}for a time in the Japan and the Philippines of their world. But they{replace.} spent most of their time in other islands{delete}, most of{delete.} which are a bit harder to relate to places in our world.

[JMR201702261143: end-edits -- mission details]

[JMR201702261143: backup of http://joel-rees-economics.blogspot.com/2017/02/soc500-01-02-karel.html.]

TOC

Previous

Two more people we want to meet, here.

---

Karel turned the ignition key off. As his ears adjusted to the lack of engine noise, he was able to hear the birds singing in his friend, Dan's family's garden. He sat back and relaxed.

The door of the house opened and Dan stuck his head out the door. "Hey, Karel, how the heck are you?"

"Not bad for just finishing a five hour drive. How about you? Got your stuff?"

"Yeah, I got my stuff, but come on in and say hi to the family. My little sister's dying to see you again."

Two voices chorused in unison from inside the house. "Dan!"

Karel opened the car door and stretched his legs. "Your little sister ignores me whenever I come."

Dan ducked back in and came outside, carrying a briefcase and a backpack. "Unless you give her a ride on your shoulders," he replied.

The door opened again behind Dan, and a seventeen year old girl came running out and slapped the back of her brother's head. He just grinned.

Karel stood up and walked around the car, and gave the girl a hug. "My you've grown, Sheliah. Wanna piggy-back ride?"

"Mom says I'm getting too old."

"Ah well. Are you gonna marry me when you turn twenty?"

"Mom says you have to find someone your own age before then."

"Darn. She's probably right about that, though."

"When are you gonna find someone as cool as me?"

"That's a tall order. But I'll let you know when I do."

Karel went in and said hi to the Claymount family while Dan threw his stuff on the back seat. After catching up on family news for a few minutes he and Dan got in the car and headed out of town.

Dan had promised to drive at least half of the way. But Karel knew Dan would be tired from the long bus ride home, and he wanted to leave enough time to stop for a nap somewhere on the road.

They talked, and Karel joked, "I don't know whether I'm better friends with you or your family sometimes."

"Yeah. We're too busy to keep up with each other. Sure is too bad the team waived you after your second year."

"Too bad about missing the playoffs these last two years."

"I told Jack when he decided to drop you from the team that we just didn't have the depth without you. No depth, no risks, no forward progress."

 "He obviously thought he had the depth without me."

"I don't think that was it. He was just mad at you for sticking to principles. That time you asked him to take down the nude centerfolds in the locker room really bugged him."

"That and my unpredictable nature on the field."

"Heh. Well, yeah. Unpredictable. But we've been watching reels of other teams. The really good players don't always stick to the patterns."

"Football can't last forever."

"Which is why I let you talk me into checking out grad school with you, right?"

"Right. Meet any interesting women since we talked last?"

"Lots, but it seems they either are not interested in football, or they aren't interested in E-P-ism. How about you?"

"Same as always."

The conversation continued for a while and Dan drifted off to sleep. About midnight, Karel pulled the car off the road at a rest stop. Dan rolled out a sleeping bag in the back seat and Karel did the same in the front, and they both slept until the pre-dawn dusk woke them up. A short walk along the highway helped them clear their heads, and then they got back on the road.

We used to do that in our world, too, up until the mid-1980s. We can't do it any more. Too many problems with criminal activities going on in the middle of the night, so the highway police have to wake you up and tell you to move on.

But in the time frame of this story in the world of this novel, it was standard operating procedure for students traveling the long distances between home and college, especially for male students.

---

A bit after nine in the morning, Karel parked the car in a school parking lot and and woke Dan up.

"Hey, we're here," he said, shaking him gently by the shoulder.

Even after sleeping, Dan had not been feeling safe behind the wheel. So Karel had driven on in the rest of the way.

"Oh, man. Sorry I couldn't wake up."

"That's okay. You can drive on the road back."

"Has it been five years?"

"Five for you. Since I finished up my master's during the off-season while we were playing pro, it's only been three for me."

"Yeah. So, I'm going to the PE department to look at a graduate degree in sports education while you check out the anthropology department, right?"

"That's the plan."

"And you'll come down to the PE department to look at studying dance education as an option to anthropology, right?"

"Right. So we'll meet down there and then go get some lunch."

---

And that is how it was that Karel was sitting in the anthropology department offices, tired from the long drive, trying to read application form instructions, when Bobbie came in that morning. And why he wasn't there when she came back.

He did get an afternoon appointment to talk with a member of the faculty before he left.

---

"Hey, Karel, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing."

"You look like you just lost a friend."

"Just kicking myself for not trying to get a girl's phone number."

"That happens."

"Didn't even introduce myself. I only said something stupid like 'Nice day.'"

"Heh. Hey, don't sweat it. If it was meant to be, you'll get another chance."

"You should talk."

"True. Girls just don't understand us boys. Did you get an interview?"

"Got an appointment for the afternoon."

"Me, too. Are you going to go in and ask about the dance program or what?"

"I'm going, I'm going."

In the dance office, one of the professors was available to talk, but she was not encouraging.

"We just don't have the expertise to help you with teaching dance to football players, and, frankly, I don't think the football body would train well in dance. Getting the turnout would be nearly impossible."

"I know it would be pioneering, but I'm willing to put in the effort."

"I really hate to be so discouraging, but I can't promise that any of the faculty here would be able to put in enough effort to help you. We're up to our necks in our own curriculum."

Karel must not have hidden his disappointment well.

She continued, "Look, you have another option you're considering, right?"

"Yeah. Anthropology."

"Maybe that's going to be a stretch for you, too, but I think it will be less of a stretch."

On his way out of the office, he noticed a poster on the wall.

"What's this?"

"Oh, that's from several years back. A master's candidate from," and she named the school Karel remembered Bobbie saying she'd gotten her master's from in the morning, "came to do some workshops in modern dance here. It was very exciting. I keep the poster as a reminder."

"Roberta Whitmer."

"Do you know her?"

"Know her? Can't say that I do."

After that, they went up to the school cafeteria, showed their alumni cards, and got lunch. While they were eating, they talked about the morning.

"I can't believe she just basically turned me down flat."

"You've got to quit letting women walk all over you like that." Dan paused and thought while chewing. "But on the other hand, maybe that girl you didn't really meet this morning is part of your destiny."

For some reason, Karel had not mentioned her name, nor had he mentioned her other degrees. And he refrained from mentioning the poster, as well.

"Well, let's go to our interviews."

Karel's interview was with a Professor White. When Karel gave him his CV to look at, he scanned it, muttering, "mission, football, instrumentation technician, military, engineering, semiconductors, ... . Lots of experience. I don't see a connection. Why do you suddenly want to get a PhD in Anthropology?"

"When I was a missionary in," and he named the same mission that Bobbie had named, "I thought the islanders I worked among had an intuitive understanding of the cultural basis of economics and management. At that semiconductor company, I watched managers who seemed to have no interest in things cultural tear the company apart with bad management and worse economics. I think their lack of interest in the human factor was the proximate cause of their bad management."

"I see. So, what do you intend to research?"

"I want to describe the human factors of management and the simplified economic models they operate under."

At the time of this story, management was still not a separate field of studies at most universities in the world of this novel.

"Okay, that sounds like something we can work from. Tell me more about your background, so I can get an idea of the holes we need to fill."

And Karel explained how he had spent a lot of time over the last year working through anthropology texts and management theory books, commenting on how various popular philosophies seemed to induce a blindness towards management listening to what the workers have to say.

Of course, the holes Karel had to fill were different from Bobbie's. Where he could just monitor the senior-level anthropology research methodologies class, he would have to take the actual anthropologist's introduction to medicine and physiology.

And he also committed to correspond with Professor White for further advice as he prepared to begin coursework in the fall.

When they left, later in the afternoon, they both had the necessary forms and had made the necessary contacts.

Dan drove on the way back, and they arrived at his home around midnight. Karel crashed in Dan's room for five hours before driving home in the morning.

On the way home, he complained a bit to God:

"Why didn't I try harder to strike up a conversation with her?"

It didn't feel right, did it?

"If I were smooth like Dan, I could have gotten her phone number, I'm sure. Why can't I be smooth like him?"

Dan said it himself, he's not particularly successful at getting married yet, either.

Karel didn't have a quick response to that. Further bickering with his conscience and his social senses and more fussing with the impressions he was getting led him back to the same place. Not asking for her phone number was the right thing.

Ultimately, he said, "Well, Father, like Dan said, if it's something that should happen for me, I'd sure like another chance to make her acquaintance."

He could have described the response he felt as a galactic "Hmmmm."

---

Both Dan and Karel spent a lot of the time over the next eight months preparing to go back to school.

They made another trip about four weeks after their first trip, to hand-deliver their applications, because it was a little close to the deadline. Even though they were there the same day as Bobbie, Karel didn't meet her again. Dan didn't run into her, either, now that I mention it.

Karel wanted to live on campus, and Dan wanted to live off campus, so after they submitted their applications, they each spent part of the day separately arranging for housing and checking out possible work opportunities.

---

I explained a little about what a "mission" is, when we met Bobbie.

I forgot to mention there that a missionary's field of labor, the area where a group of missionaries serve, is also called a "mission" in E-P-ist parlance.

There are two parallel organizations within the Church. One is focused on the ministry to-and-of the members, and one is focused on the missionary work. 

In the latter organization, a "mission" is a physical area and the missionaries assigned to work there. The country corollary to Japan, for instance, would much later be divided into seven physical areas called missions, and the country corollary to the Philippines would be divided into twenty-one. Each of those missions would have around fifty to a hundred fifty missionaries working in it.

At the time Karel would have served his mission in the world of this novel, the two countries corollary to the Philippines and Japan were both within a single mission. Later, when Bobbie would have been serving her mission, they would have been separate. Both served briefly in their Japan and in their Philippines, but spent most of their time in other islands, most of which are a bit harder to relate to places in our world.

---

Previous

TOC

Next

---

[No backup of previous versions yet.]

---

[The original of this chapter can be found here: http://free-is-not-free.blogspot.com/2016/05/economics-101-novel-ch02-introducing.html.]
[JMR201702261143: end-backup]