I fly to Birmingham for a interview to do a post-doc with Kuhn and Osthus.  I have not been doing much extremal graph theory lately, having somehow transitioned to graph homomorphisms, but I could certainly stand to get back into it.  It would be a great position, but I have a offer for Korea too, and Eunjoo would prefer that, so I'm ambivalent. Nervous, but confident.

When I get there, the train station is confusing, the people speak in a cryptic accent, and it is hailing.

I go to meet the hosts and walk in on them interviewing Peter Keevash. I don't know what business he has applying for a post-doc, I would have sworn he already had a full-time position. But there he is, dressed up in a suit with his plentiful hair pulled respectfully back in a pony tail. I know immediately that I am out-classed, and have no hope at getting the position.

We go out for Indian food, and then I go back to my hotel room. I was planning on going over some of the random-graph results that I would talk about, but decide to go to sleep instead. Instead of talking about some basic extremal ideas that will only highlight the gap between Keevash and I, I decide to talk about a nice result I have coming with Nesetril. Hopefully it will make me look less out of my league, though admittedly it will not likely interest  Kuhn and Osthus.