My health has been slowly improving towards normal.  It does take long time to get back and though I know this, it is still a frustrating process.  I still get tired very fast.  Now my arthritic knee also bothers me — sometimes more than my energy level.

October has been a heavy travel month. Chicago, Santa Barbara, New York, Pittsburgh, San Diego, and then Washington DC.  It is good that Atlanta is a major airline hub and hence all these trips, except Santa Barbara, were non-stop.  November and December are also going to involve some travels, including a trip to Switzerland and a trip to India.  So far travel has not bothered me.

I have to make a hard decision.  It does appear that it is best in my personal and family interest that I come back to Southern California.  After deliberating on it, I made this decision.  Now I have informed Roger Webb, Chairman of ECE at Georgia Tech, that I will take a leave of absence for one year and then consider resigning.  He has always been a very understanding and graceful person.  I must say he was as graceful in hiring me as he was in understanding my situation and letting me go.  I am likely to join UC Irvine in School of Information and Computer Sciences.  I have mixed feelings about leaving Georgia Tech.  On the other hand I am very excited about building a strong research program in Next Generation Search Technology and it does appear that Irvine will be a great place to do that.

I am going to make this change in January.  Than involves moving my household from Atlanta, selling my condo there, also selling my house in San Diego and moving from here to Irvine area.  That will keep me busy.

I am looking forward to this new phase in my life. 

Posted by Ramesh on Sunday, October 24th, 2004 at 4:49 am.