Geoffrey,  It really was above and beyond the call of duty to write me
this long, informative, and generous note about my concerns/paranoia re
the lack of response to my ATHG-L long-winded posts.  Thank you.  I'd
really have to have words with Andrea about telling all my secrets at
the KBS meetings, too, if it weren't for the fact that she's always
trying to find ways to be nice to me!  It WOULD be good to get together
more often and at the Edinburgh KBS meetings--though most ATHG members,
one suspects, have a greater meeting-tropism in the direction of the
AHA meetings.  You're really too kind, Geoffrey--and to punish you for
that, I think I WILL keep sending long, breathless posts to ATHG-L!
Take care.
 
Yours, Ron
 
You wrote:
 
>Ron, I am just back from the Kettil Bruun Society meeting in Portugal,
>where I gathered from Andrea that you were puzzled by the lack of
>spirited debate on your excellent seven-part essay (which arrived in a
>totally bizarre order, by the way!).  Ron, we do care!  I found it so
>good and useful that I printed it out.  BUT it did arrive at the end
of
>term when I was mired down with hundreds of pages of student essays to
>read, and so had absolutely no chance to respond.  In fact, the entire
>semester has been hell, with five search committees in the Department.
>Remember that some of us have to make a living teaching, and just
cannot
>find the time we would love to have, in which to engage in lively
>exchanges.  I look back with great fondness and nostalgia to my years
in
>a research group at Yale, but alas the real world is not like that for
>most of us.  I have a huge problem even keeping up with my e-mail.  So
>please forgive the silent majority, but DO keep on tossing us such
>wonderful morsels.  Some of us will get around to responding
eventually.
>In my case, not at the moment. I am just in town for a week, with all
>kinds of projects vying for attention, before flying to London.
>I am really pleased with the new ATHG bulletin board -  David Fahey
has
>given us a real boost with this - but I have to say that I personally
>think that it is no substitute for conferences, where human beings can
>meet face to face.  Next year the Kettil Bruun Society is going to
meet
>in Edinburgh during the first week of June, and I am going to put a
>strong pitch in the upcoming issue of SHAR (should be out in July!)
for a
>bigger group of us ATHG members to gather there than came to Porto
last
>week.  It is a natural forum for us to get together to exchange ideas.
I
>certainly hope that you will be able to make it.  It would be
extremely
>good to see you again, and to talk face to face!
>Best wishes, Geoffrey
>