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I'm back. With random news.

I didn't mean to worry anyone.

I haven't posted for myriad reasons. (At least, they seem like "reasons" to me. You know how that goes.) In no particular order, they are:

1. I've been, uhn, busy. Really! My "business," unabated through the school year, slowed considerably--but still did not stop--on December 17th, after I administered and graded my last finals and calculated grades, etc. (Much administrivia accompanies the process, but I won't bore you with that. Welcome.)

Note I didn't say my work ended. Now I have the time to catch up on my additional duties (which I'm still working on) and now I must prepare my syllabi for next semester. But anyway. I'm more or less taking a break.

2. I had company a couple of times. Yes. Social life. Most of y'all know about that, yes? It shocked my system but I survived.

3. When I had time to post, the utter weariness of dealing with the deluge of spam which had accumulated in my blog gave me pause. "It gave me stop" may be more accurate.

I've dealt with the spam problem, primarily by doing two things: locking down all comments on all past blogs (I just took the time to figure out how to do that), then spending my entire morning removing all the junk. I'm back in control, and will now take the time to lock posts over a month old or so (I haven't decided on the time frame, yet).

So here I am, boys and girls! Whee.

News? Here's the news:

- The AF finally diagnosed me with a herniated disk (L4-L5) about a month ago. Now I know what caused that excruciating pain. I have no idea how it happened or when. It's been there for years and steadily growing. When I could no longer function (or tie my shoes), I went to the doc.

- My tour here has been extended from three years to four. Whee! I'm tickled this mandatory tour extension (to pinch pennies) didn't hit while I was still at Gunter. Egads.

- I'm looking into attending the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) for my PhD, which (if all goes as planned), I will begin in Fall 2010.

I had planned to stay here two years then go, but for three reasons, that isn't such a good idea. First, in addition to ensuring I maintain solid military credentials--no mean feat at the Academy--I must build and maintain solid academic credentials, as well. That means I must go to conferences and present papers, publish stuff, etc., in addition to teaching and my additional duties, etc. Three years instead of one is a far more reasonable "deadline" to provide myself to reach these goals. The second reason for the delay is that I will meet my first major's board in Sept 2009; 'tis highly recommended that I be operational (and not in school) when I meet that board. Third, I have a "language requirement" to meet for my PhD program; PhD programs expect you to meet this requirement sometime during the five+ years you're working on your PhD, but I will only have 3 years. 'Tis best if I can work out a way to fulfil the requirement before I go. There's also a little matter of ensuring I'm well-read so as to do exceptionally well on the GRE Literature Subject Test, which is, in layman's terms, a "bitch."

I've tentatively selected the U of M because I understand it's a very good school. It's a perk that one of my best friends and his family happen to live in Minneapolis (he's also my esteemed webmaster :D).

- No word on the final disposition of my plagiarist yet.

- We've had two bonafide blizzards in Colorado Springs so far this year, and just finished a snowstorm that lasted three days. I love this state.

I have to go hit the treadmill now. Have a safe and happy new year, all!

d

This entry was posted by diana and filed under home.

12 comments

Comment from: Hinermad [Visitor]
Hinermad

Diana,

Glad to see you’re holding up well. I figured the end of the semester and the holidays would be a busy time, so I wasn’t too worried about the long dry spell.

I’m starting to look into continuing my education. I’ve got a lot more time on my hands these days. (Not for the reason I’d prefer, though.)

Sounds like your Scheduling Fairy has waved her magic wand once again. Not many people appreciate the Pentagon’s belt-tightening efforts. Enjoy it while you can!

If you get tired of the snow, feel free to FedEx some our way. We’ve had maybe 3 inches all season. There were actually bugs flying around outside the house on Christmas Day. I’m waiting for a good freeze so I can knock the hornets’ nest down out of the tree out front.

Dave

12/31/06 @ 14:13
Comment from: [Member]

Dave,

I was going to lightly ask why you suddenly find yourself with so much time on your hands, then I thought I should just check your blog and see what’s been going on.

I’m so terribly sorry. I don’t know what to say. There’s never anything to say, really. I’m suddenly utterly deflated as if I had had the pleasure of knowing your wife, which of course I didn’t. Please accept my sincere condolences.

That sounds corny and worthless, too.

How are you bearing up?

d

EDITED TO ADD: I took the time to read the whole thing thoroughly, so I now know how you’re bearing up and what you’re dealing with–far more than you should need to. It sounds like some people…well, nevermind. People are vicious, and rarely do they understand much of anything about the complexities of others’ relationships. FWIW, Dave…you have always and continue to strike me as a helluva man.

12/31/06 @ 18:33
Comment from: Hinermad [Visitor]
Hinermad

Diana,

Thank you, my friend. I didn’t want to burden your blog with my personal drama, so thanks for taking the time to read mine. Yes it’s been hard, but the family (especially Roberta’s sisters, my daughters’ men, and a long-lost friend) have all come together to help lift us up.

Viciousness had nothing to do with anything that’s happened, except for the mindless viciousness of the cancer that took Roberta. Nobody set out to hurt anyone intentionally. There’s some comfort to be had from knowing that.

Don’t worry about sounding corny and worthless. What you say doesn’t matter nearly as much as the fact that you’re willing to say it. Family is sort of obligated to be nice at a time like this; true friends reach out even if they don’t have to.

Please don’t let my sorry tale drag you down. We’ll survive; the healing has already begun. But you’ve got so much to look forward to, it’s almost like you have a charmed life. (Although I suspect the “charm” in your life is focus and hard work.) Rejoice in your success, because we your friends rejoice with you.

Dave

P.S. I’m now in the novel (for me) situation of having to meet people for companionship. Any advice would be welcome! D.

12/31/06 @ 19:50
Comment from: [Member]

Dave,

My first advice would be to not stay at home on New Year’s Eve. :) (Doh!)

Somehow, I think you’ll have no problems meeting someone, unless you’re very different in person than you are online. I really don’t think you are, though. I’m not sure why I think that, even. I’ve met many people online then later in person, and have developed a sense for it, I suppose.

I’ve only ever fallen truly, madly, deeply when I wasn’t looking. So…take your time, do what you love, and when you least expect it, you’ll meet someone who shares your passion. In short, the best way to meet the right person is to lose interest in meeting someone and take care of yourself and your family. It’s counterintuitive but effective.

Charmed life? :D Nah. I’ve been raked through the coals more times than I’d wish to count. I think I’m just on one of the “payback” periods right now. It gets better, it gets worse, and it gets better…fairly regularly, like the tides. I count on that, me. When it’s good, I enjoy (because there’s nothing worse than being in a bad time and realizing you didn’t enjoy the good when you had it). When it’s bad, I enjoy the best I can (habit formed in good times ;)), and look forward to the inevitable rise in fortune.

And just to stack my deck, “rise in fortune” can mean lots of things, and rarely has anything to do with money.

d

12/31/06 @ 20:37
Comment from: [Member]

A propos of nothing, I just found this site (Top 10 Worst Domain Names). OK, it’s a blog with a list, but check it out. None of us has too much humor in our lives.

http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2006/07/26/top-10-worst-domain-names/

d

12/31/06 @ 20:48
Comment from: Hinermad [Visitor]
Hinermad

Diana,

I should learn to listen to myself more often. The advice you gave me (take your time, do what you love, meet someone who shares your passion) is exactly what I tell other people. Duh. (For youngsters who aren’t sure what they love yet, I try to nudge them toward volunteer work. You meet people who are a little more interested in others that way.) I’m thinking that going back to school might be good for more than just an education. Like I told my daughter this evening, it might be a way to kill two birds with one stone. (Roberta’s high school nickname was Bird. It’s a joke - lighten up!)

I like your style for weathering the changes. I need to work on that more. In fact, I’m working on it as we speak.

Thanks for the list! I knew of Power-Gen Italia from my previous career in the power industry. And I saw the IP Anywhere name when I was looking for a may to track my dynamic IP address. But they’re certainly funnier when you see them in the list with the other names.

Thanks again, for everything!

Dave

12/31/06 @ 21:41
Comment from: [Member]

So they ARE real domain names. Now the question is, did they go for the double entendre on purpose?

What are you thinking of going back to school for?

d

12/31/06 @ 21:51
Comment from: Hinermad [Visitor]
Hinermad

Diana,

First things first: Happy New Year!

Grrr. I had a nice piece about what I want to do when I grow up, but it keeps getting rejected. I want to finish a BSEE. State University of NY offers an online EE program.

Dave

P.S. Sorry for the test - my orignal comment was rejected. Thought it might have been a Y2.007k bug. D.

01/01/07 @ 08:24
Comment from: [Member]

Happy New Year back at you! I’m off to Denver to participate in a friend’s “Latkepaloosa” today. This should be a cultural treat.

Y2.007k bug. Cute. :)

I probably blocked some common word again in my spam-blocking frenzy yesterday. *sigh*

d

01/01/07 @ 12:12
Comment from: Hinermad [Visitor]
Hinermad

Diana,

“Latkepalooza"? Sounds delicious.

I swear I didn’t try to say anything about stocks, physical enhancement, weight loss, or online degrees.

Well, maybe I did mention an online degree. (Grin)

Dave

01/01/07 @ 12:16
Comment from: baldbantam [Visitor]
baldbantam

Dave

You don’t know me, but I am a regular reader of diana’s blog and internet postings, and so I’ve been reading your comments along the way as well for the past while.

For what it’s worth, I just wanted to express my condolences for your loss as well. As diana said, it’s difficult to think of anything to say that doesn’t sound trite, but just know that a guy in England is sending good wishes your way.

Regards

baldbantam

01/06/07 @ 09:09
Comment from: Hinermad [Visitor]
Hinermad

baldbantam,

Thank you. I’ll take friends wherever I can find them. (Grin)

Dave

01/06/07 @ 11:07


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