Workin' in a Coal Mine

I started an entery when I went to go get Kim, but by the time I got going on it Kim was there to pick me up. Here is the entery that was started:

Here I am in New Haven, CT. I spent an hour on the road to get t Omaha. That drive went a lot faster than it had seemed in the past. Probably since I was only driving to Omaha and not to Minneapolis. About half way there I realized that I forgot two things. One of which is easily fixable and the other I know is going to be an issue...possibily. I forgot to grab the extra key that I was going to give Kim. Not a big deal and I / we can easily go to a hardware store and have a new one made. The other thing that I forgot was my cell phone. It is sitting on the kitchen table right where I left it, charging. I put it there last night to make sure that it was charged for the trip. I just know that this is going to be an issue. It always becomes one. At least this time, she is not trying to get ahold of me, well right now anyway. I don't think... The Omaha airport was pretty easy to navigate and I already had the bording passes for my flights. I didn't know that one of the airlines didn't assign seats. I hadn't used Southwest since I was a freshman in college, and that was only once....at Thanksgiving...and I never flew on it again.

So, I am now back in Lincoln. The drive back was long, but we finished it relatively fast, 12 hours each day. Kim drove on Saturday and I drove on Sun. We finished unloading her stuff by 9:30 Sunday night. Monday was a lot of running around and getting things taken care of that need both of us like the banking and the car insurence. It didn't take all that long, but it was done.

Then the next day the real adventure began... I officially started my doctorial program. I thought being a teacher was enough to keep me busy, but this is insane. Basically this first year we (the four of us in the cohort) are just told to do things and report back. The level of expectations are very high, as one would think they should be. However, it doesn't really hit you until it is being pushed into your lap and on the floor around you. The group of us are getting along pretty well. I think a bit more stress and we will start to see each other's weaknesses come shining through. Right now, we have about 35 hours of work a week assigned to us. Really that means about 60 hours with all the research and library time and figuring out exactly what it is that they want us to do and making it look good. Next we get to add on 12 hours of class. So far things just have that "tettering on the edge" feel. I hope these classes don't push us toward the bottomless pit.

Things with Kim have been going through a bit of adjustment as she is getting used to not being in school and living with me again. We have had some talks about it and I am sure that we will continue to work with it. With her here, it feels like we are already married in a way. We were talking about it yesterday and it feels like "Oh, yeah, I guess we need to go have a ceremony, too" but it is more of an afterthought.

Also, I need to roast some coffee. Probably tomorrow morning....that sounds good...fresh roasted coffee...

I am Mr. Peabody and I am figuring out what the hell I am doing.

The reset button

I am here typing this entry at my apartment. After looking at my previous entries I thought, do I really need to say all that I have been saying. And the answer tat pops into my head is yes, but I guess I could maybe enter thoughts and observations with a little more frequency. I don't know. I was reading some other blogs and to me they seem so sinical that the point is lost on me as to what they are doing. I guess that is just where other people are at..making fun of others. Maybe as I get better about posting, I will get better about putting in witty quips.

Anyway, the goal today is to go and a Nebraska driver's licence. This is kind of a bigger deal for me than it probably should be. I have never had another driver's licence other than the one issued in my home state. I probably should have went to get one in Minnesota, but I just never really got around to it. When I first moved to MN, I had a good reason for not getting the licence. The home state needed to have proof of residencey and the drivers's licence was the way to go. With the proof of residencey, I was entitled to a little sum of money that the state gave out. Then it became a matter of laziness. There was always a reason not to go and do it. Grad school...I wasn't ready for the test....Now it has come to the point where I have moved to another state, but this time I actually setting up residence in the new state.

In a way, this is kind of like hitting a reset button on my life. I am actually in a state with no connections to my family. I am living in an apartment no with family conntections. I will be getting married soon and starting life as a husband. I feel like my life is starting over and being able to redefine itself. I don't feel like I have lost any of my ideals and my foundations though. I am not talking about my teaching and research ideals because I know that will change. I guess in a way that is the foundation that I have...that I will listen to the research. After look back over what I just wrote, I don't want to give the impression that I don't like my family. My family is very important to me and I would actually say that this whole breast cancer era has brought us closer together. I will have to think about that...what are my ideals and my foundations.

I am Mr. Peabody and I setting a new foundation.