Wedding

Today was a good day. I went to Irina and Brian's wedding, and had a wonderful time. It was good to see them again, but of course, I had to share them with the rest of the eager visitors and wellwishers.

It was wonderful to discover that the people there were bright, charismatic, and wonderfully conversant on a number of topics. I was sandwiched between two people - a blast from the past - back when I was a neophyte Europhile (or Eurosceptic, depending on the day of the week). Inbetween comments on how the four-year old boy was having more success meeting women than me, I had a couple great discussions on the financial crisis in Central and Eastern Europe and nuclear nonproliferation.

It was like water to a thirsty man in the desert.


Speaking of nuclear nonproliferation, I've got some homework from a professor I knew in Rome, now joining SAIS. She encouraged me to contact her so she can connect me with individuals working on making Obama's commitment to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty a reality. Key dates appear to be October 1, when the six-party talks with Iran will test whether recent considerations granted to Russia on missile shield issues will translate into Russian willingness to encourage Iran to abandon its nuclear program. As I recall, December was another key point - I forget why. The concern is that the Democrats would likely lose seats, making the already difficult two-thirds vote (67 senators) required nearly impossible.

I haven't looked at CTBT in a very long time. But the professor seemed to think that someone with a decent technical background and some interest and ability on the policy side could benefit from some experience, if not actually be somewhat helpful.

List of things to look at:
text of CTBT
history of CTBT
OTA and CTBT
projections for healthcare bill voting, and subsequent realignments
national lab districts, and positions held by representatives of those districts
updated projections on Iran's time to completion
early Cold War evolution of nuclear diplomacy - it was VERY different from what are now regarded as axioms of current nuclear diplomacy

and, of course

who I need to talk to to find work in this - I'll start with some people I know at Cornell and MIT

More generally, the night was wonderful. Dancing, hilarious conversation, beautiful people. Weddings are fun - I regret missing a few in the last couple years, and look forward to more.

Days like today remind me what I miss by disconnecting. The world is filled with bright, fascinating people, filled with passion and conviction and compassion. Damn complicated, but better than the simplicity of self-inflicted exile.

Last, but definitely first, congratulations to Brian and Irina for finding and building love, brick by brick, into a building that encompasses us all.