Life on Goldfinch: June 2008

From writing a thesis, that is. For the last month or so, it's been nothing but reading and writing for me. By now, I'm just tired of school. I've had 20 straight years of it, so I can't say I'm all that surprised. I'm on the home stretch now, though, and I can't even imagine the relief I'll feel once it's all finished. To break up the day, I've taken to throwing a frisbee on the drill field. Now, I'll admit that Miss. State has one of the greatest drill fields I've ever seen. Take my word for it, Virginia Tech's is right up there. It's larger, that's for sure. I've got my flick and hammer down pretty well, anyways. Gaurav, my friend whom I've gone through grad school with at the same pace, is just as eager to get outside whenever it's nice. Unlike Mississippi, a nice day in June can easily be 75 degrees with low humidity.

Speaking of humidity, I've always said that's the thing I'll miss the most when we leave. The weather here is ideal: cold winters, hot summers that only last about 2 months, and a spring and fall that are almost 100% perfect weather, not to mention the leaves changing and the flowers blooming. I dread the Mississippi humidity, yet I would be more than happy to endure it for the price of being home.

We've scheduled our move for June 28th, and it's my goal to be finished with a rough draft of my thesis by then. I'll send revisions back and forth to my advisor from MS, and return to Blacksburg to defend in August. As far as living, we'll be renting from my parents month-to-month while looking for a house to buy. It's an ideal situation, and we're really thankful to be able to look for a house without having a lease to worry about breaking.

Another thing I can't wait for is to start my job at none other than Clearwater Consultants. After the rigorous interview process, I was finally able to land that one. Right now, I don't care if I have to work 13-hour days, 6 days a week. I just need a change (I'm starting to sound like Barak). I've actually worked those kinds of hours before when I was running parasail boats, and, while it's not sustainable, it's not so bad as long as you enjoy what you're doing. I'm not looking forward to that clueless period I know I'll go through before I learn how things are done, but that would be a part of any engineering job. I've heard it from my friends who have gone to work, "I didn't know what the hell was going on." It's just something that will take time. I actually had close to a week of bewilderment when I started working in the lab here. There were so many drawers and cabinets, I didn't know where to find a pencil!

In any case, it's been a great two years in Virginia. We've made some great friends, some of whom I'm sure we'll keep in touch with for years to come. One family in particular, the Gilbartes, have truly been a blessing to me and Katherine. Not only have they invited us into their home as their own family, but they've truly been a great example of what a sacrificial marriage looks like. As great as the parents are, I'd be lying if I said our favorite members of the Gilbartes aren't their 4 boys (she's giving birth to a girl in 1-2 weeks). Nathan, Justin, Kevin, and Ryan are 7, 5, 3, and 3, respectively. It is impossible to describe how fun these kids are! Nathan is the over-achiever, Justin is the considerate and generous one, and Ryan and Kevin are twins. They're not twins in the biological sense; Kevin was adopted 4 months ago from Guatemala. But they play copy-cat all day long. For example, a couple of weeks ago Katherine and I were at their house for Justin's birthday party. After cake and presents, Ryan and Kevin were playing in the yard. For some reason, Kevin was walking around the yard with a bundle of sticks held up against his left ear. 10 seconds later, I looked out the window. Now Ryan was following Kevin's exact path..... while holding a bundle of sticks up against his left ear. Who knows?

Maybe the weather won't be the thing I miss the most.