Here We Go!

I keep wanting to say "It has been a crazy [day/week/month/semester]," but I can never decide which of those words is most appropriate. Fact is - I can't remember the last time life didn't feel crazy at the moment. I think it was sometime in 2008. For about two minutes.

But you only live once, and there is no sense succumbing to anxiety, sadness, bitterness, anger... you get the idea. I have been increasingly worried and stressed these past few weeks, but I just keep picking up the pace, looking for the eye of the storm. I have enjoyed the good fortune of a world-class graduate education at Virginia Tech, national conferences in New Orleans and Boston, the support of good friends and family, boundless joy in the "little things" and those ohmygoodness-once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that seem to happen to me more often than my fair share. On top of that, I am super excited about my new best friend, Ed. We seem to catalyze great energy in each other and inspire both excellence and stop-and-smell-the-roses sentiment. Good stuff.

Here's a quick list of where I'm at and what needs to be accomplished in the next couple days...

• Send out job apps - another round of about 8, so I can make this graduate education pay
• Edits and new game plan with my thesis/grant committee today - we are deciding whether to request a no-cost extension to our grant deliverables deadline, which is one week away
• Pack my apartment and move everything to storage; movers arrive tomorrow a.m. at 9:30, so I'm packing through the night tonight
• Meet with landlord and new tenant to get lease amended, do walk-through, negotiate my exit schedule, tomorrow or wednesday
• Buy a couple more camping items, ship some Fourth of July clothing to Minnesota
• rinse and repeat. j/k

Days like this I try to slow down enough to meditate, breathe, smile and then get to work and hit it hard. So here we go!