Apologies and News

Had to put the title in alphabetical order, I did.

Anyhow, apologies for the extended absence. Like so many of my hobbies, this blog falls victim to the rule "Real life first," in that real life always takes precedence.

Since my last posting, our family decided to have our 12 year-old lab, Chloe, put to sleep. It wasn't an easy decision, but it'd become necessary. Our vet was pretty certain she had a brain tumor growing, and there was no telling when the thing was going to hit the critical point and cause her insufferable problems.

A picture of Chloe from 2007. This is a good picture of her, as some of the later ones show her a bit ragged around the edges.

Anyhow, after that decision was made, I just didn't feel much like posting. Shortly after she was put to rest, I had a friend visit from out of town, and then I had a bunch of other chores crop up around the house. Suffice it to say, I've been working on things not related to the blog.

That being said . . . I'm back, baby.

Next on the agenda: News. As you regular readers know, I've been interviewing with graduate schools, trying to figure out where I'll be going this fall to work on my Ph.D. The decision has been made, and it's now official: This summer I'll be moving to Baltimore to attend the University of Maryland graduate school.

If you're in Illinois, you have two months to get the most out of me before I pack my bags and hit the coast. Otherwise, I'll be spending the remaining time trying to get my affairs in order for the move. No worries, though; there'll definitely be blogging to go along with it.