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Long time, no post. Of course, my long-time readers (both of you) are probably used to that by now, jotting down my own internal monologue in fits and starts. But I digress--

I hit the big 3-0 recently. Unlike one's car odometer, which is really pretty cool when it turns over, when it happens to one's life odometer it's just kinda scary. That's bringing out some long overdue life changes. A wise person once told me, "You can do anything with impugnity until you're thirty." In retrospect, I may have taken the inverse to be the case also. I've been avoiding going out and drinking, eschewing any serious relationships (or commitments in general), and have decided to quit smoking. For the past few years I've been in the process of getting serious about my life--bring it back into control, and getting done what I need to get done. After all, I'm not going to be a grad student forever. Pretty soon I'm going to be a (Visiting) Assistant Professor and shit.

The dissertation is coming along swimmingly. One final concluding chapter, and I'm done. That means I might actually finish and get the hell out of here by the end of the year. Not that there's anything wrong with Florida per se, but I'm pretty much done with the place. A strange air comes over one down down here. I've been long of the opinion that the warm weather makes one soft, and lazy. And I've certainly been lazy since I've been down here.

The job search is picking up. I had two interviews over the past two weeks, both in Ohio. Apparently, the Buckeye state loves me. I the weekend in Cleveland, for the on-campus interview stage. I had a great time, and I think it went well. But, of course, my only point of comparison is last year's interview from hell. But I'm cautiously optimistic that I won't be in this state next year (metaphorically and literally).

That's about all I've got for now. The next few weeks I'll be shut up grading and finishing the dissertation. I'd like to end with the all-too-common promise that I'll update more, but I know it's a promise I can't keep. I think I've been learning a lot more about myself recently.