So this blog thing hasn't gone quite how I planned. Where have I been, you might ask, since that awesome introduction? Well, I've been off learning some valuable lessons. The first of which is to never start a blog when you've got a major project looming. I'm in the final stages of earning my Ph.D. The course work is done, the Master's Thesis, qualifying exam, and Doctoral Dissertation are all done; and since I've decided not to pursue the Guinness Book for longest time in a Ph.D. program, I've been working on my applications for internship. I've got them all out, so now I just have the nerve-racking time of waiting for interviews and hopefully acceptance.
Other things that have been more pressing than this blog: fatherhood, finding another job, and moving my in-laws into our basement. Okay, so fatherhood is a never ending job, but a very time consuming one none the less. I could regale you with stories of wiping tears and dirty asses, but I plan to write about the joys of parenting later. On the job front, I've been thinking of finding something mindless and out of my field for a while. I've worked as a Barista twice before and I absolutely love making cappuccino and other espresso drinks. There's something meditative about steaming milk and the chef in me loves the artistry of a good cup of cappuccino with nice tight foam. But alas, I'm realizing that Starbucks probably won't pay as much as a job in my field and the babies need new shoes, so I think I'll go back to evaluating schizophrenics for disability (always fun).
I know the in-laws moving in probably caught your attention, so I'll expound on that a bit (privacy prevents me from going into great detail). My wife is from Daytona Beach, Florida and we moved her parents out of their house over the summer. It was a bit emotional for my wife of course, as this was the home she grew up in. However, the tropical weather down there isn't really the best thing for the roofs of old houses and my father-in-law isn't in the shape to be climbing up there to fix it anymore, so there you go. We found some less-shady-than-usual contractors and had them go to work on an in-law suite. To make a very long story short, when we pulled the U-Haul into our driveway in August, the work wasn't done as they'd promised. Fortunately, we have a guest bedroom for my in-laws to stay in until the basement was livable. Now almost four months later, it's finished enough that they've moved in. There are still some minor things to be done, but being contractors they're obligated to be assholes and drag the process out as long as possible. We are now in that senseless game where we refuse to pay any more until they come to work; and they refuse to come to work until we pay. Schmucks!
All things considered, it's working out great. My mother-in-law and I get along very well and our kitchen has never been cleaner. My wife has also been relieved of the burden of laundry. My father-in-law has some serious health issues and we've found some really good doctors for him. Having my kitchen cleaned on a regular basis has allowed me to get back into my second love of cooking. If you're one of my facebook friends, you've no doubt seen the kick-ass pictures of food I've been posting lately. Now before you accuse me of using my mother-in-law as slave labor, let me assure you we have an arrangement. I love cooking, but hate doing dishes; she has told me she doesn't care for cooking, but actually likes doing the dishes. Like many women of her generation, she does them by hand even though there's a dishwasher right there. I'll let you know when I figure that one out.
So there you have it friends. This is what's been going on in my life and why I haven't posted anything since that very clever introduction I posted months ago. I spent some time feeling bad about it, but as a good friend reassured me: "Dude, it's your blog. Do what the fuck you want with it!" Thanks dude (you know who you are). Thanks.
