Thank You!
Thanks to everyone for the wonderful, thoughtful efforts to brighten my recent birthday. I really do appreciate it, even if it's hard to tell from my hermit-like seclusion.
I spent a fair bit of thought on this birthday, as it approached. This has been an exceptional year so far, and the birthday/solstice/end of year triumvirate has always found me pondering more than usual (and no, Pinky, I'm not wearing the tutu). I began this year began alone, up in the Great White North, for the first several months. Cabin fever seems to have been good for the soul, great for the workout schedule, hard on the brain. Several months of that gave way to travel, visits, and a cross-country exodus (with cats!) -- and then a whole lot of nothing. More brain-spinning, I guess, but I don't count that as good, really. A bit of ``Surprise Neurosurgery'' made a bit of an impact, sadly. Unusual times, and I can't say that I didn't learn anything from it. Just don't ask me what, just now.
As we crossed the summer into the end part of the year, though, things got both hectic and joyous. Convention season, both fun and educational were the highlights. Most importantly, though, three of my closest, oldest friends all got married, and I was honored to have been involved. Mazel Tov! Dashing groomsmen did not even think of dashing; beautiful brides beamed, and a tear or two was shed. Good times. As for the hectic, other friends stepped up (above and beyond, in fact) to ash away the stress and make everything good. Thanks again, and again.
There is an another reason for my pondering on this particular centennial, though: the midpoint.
Sometime very close to this birthday, I had lived exactly as long *after* moving from a tiny town in eastern Oklahoma to MIT as I had before. At the time, I knew my life was going to change, drastically, and still I was unprepared. Things didn't turn out at all like I'd expected, of course. So I hope you'll forgive me if I'm a bit more hermitish even than normal; I'm caught up in a bunch of what-if, what-now, and what-next at the moment. Feel free to ask me questions, or give advice, if you think it'll help -- or even if you just think it'll be interesting. While I don't expect to buy a sports car or anything, I'm happy to have something new rattling around upstairs for a while.
..and I'll ask you to indulge me if my random postings seem a bit more random than normal. I don't think anyone will be buried in the volume. :-)
I spent a fair bit of thought on this birthday, as it approached. This has been an exceptional year so far, and the birthday/solstice/end of year triumvirate has always found me pondering more than usual (and no, Pinky, I'm not wearing the tutu). I began this year began alone, up in the Great White North, for the first several months. Cabin fever seems to have been good for the soul, great for the workout schedule, hard on the brain. Several months of that gave way to travel, visits, and a cross-country exodus (with cats!) -- and then a whole lot of nothing. More brain-spinning, I guess, but I don't count that as good, really. A bit of ``Surprise Neurosurgery'' made a bit of an impact, sadly. Unusual times, and I can't say that I didn't learn anything from it. Just don't ask me what, just now.
As we crossed the summer into the end part of the year, though, things got both hectic and joyous. Convention season, both fun and educational were the highlights. Most importantly, though, three of my closest, oldest friends all got married, and I was honored to have been involved. Mazel Tov! Dashing groomsmen did not even think of dashing; beautiful brides beamed, and a tear or two was shed. Good times. As for the hectic, other friends stepped up (above and beyond, in fact) to ash away the stress and make everything good. Thanks again, and again.
There is an another reason for my pondering on this particular centennial, though: the midpoint.
Sometime very close to this birthday, I had lived exactly as long *after* moving from a tiny town in eastern Oklahoma to MIT as I had before. At the time, I knew my life was going to change, drastically, and still I was unprepared. Things didn't turn out at all like I'd expected, of course. So I hope you'll forgive me if I'm a bit more hermitish even than normal; I'm caught up in a bunch of what-if, what-now, and what-next at the moment. Feel free to ask me questions, or give advice, if you think it'll help -- or even if you just think it'll be interesting. While I don't expect to buy a sports car or anything, I'm happy to have something new rattling around upstairs for a while.
..and I'll ask you to indulge me if my random postings seem a bit more random than normal. I don't think anyone will be buried in the volume. :-)