Well, it has been two months since I announced I
would write every day, and since that time, I posted a grand total of
three blog posts. (So I was little off.) Part of the problem is that I
am often moved to write about topics I decide are too personal to post
here. My name’s in big green letters at the top of this page, and I’m
paranoid about the consequences of what could happen if I were to post
the wrong piece of private information in this space. So I err on the
side of caution, probably too far. As a result, all that you get are
occasional posts about novelty carols in half-dead languages and
double entendres about jazz singers. (Please forgive me for the Norah
Jones thing, by the way.)

One of these personal stories is that my family conspired together
to give me a laptop, a Dell Inspiron, for Christmas. I’m writing this
post on it right now. I plan to finish my Ph.D. work this year, and as
you might guess, this requires a fair amount of writing: papers,
presentations, dissertations. I have a computer at home and use
another computer regularly in the lab, but they differ in operating
systems, software installed, and general capabilities. I no longer
have to worry about a lot of problems I would have had transferring
data and converting files, and now I can get out of the house and work
if I have to. (God bless Panera’s wireless access.) This was an
extraordinary gift, and I am honored by it.

To be honest, I feel truly blessed to have Mom, Dad, Ben, and Suz
in my life, computer or no computer. If it weren’t for their love and
support, I wouldn’t have made it here in grad school as far as I
have. More times than I can count, a call or two to Pennsylvania has
given me the strength I need to keep going. So if I haven’t made it
clear before, folks, thank you. I love you guys.