Checking In

Since my earlier post was my first in over a month and a half, and since blogging was sporadic before then, I suppose I owe my readers an explanation. Basically, it boils down to the fact that like so many of you, I've just been busy. Really busy. For the last several months, I've been incredibly focused on banging out some experiments for a couple of papers that I'm now in the process of writing up. It has been a very productive and exciting period for my PhD, but it also has meant that I've been doing little else but science. As I continue to finish up these experiments and write these papers, I'm going to continue to be very busy, but at least now the end is in sight.

And, I've been looking toward the next stage. When I was back in the US for the holidays, I toured several NMR labs in my search for where I will begin a postdoc in the fall. That was quite a process--since it involved traveling extensively, presenting my PhD research to some of the leaders in my field, and hearing about so many of their current projects--but it was quite enjoyable and intellectually stimulating to discuss so many interesting new developments taking place in solution state protein NMR. I won't say anything else about that now, as nothing has been finalized, but I'm excited about the work I'll likely be starting in the fall.

Also, the exciting November election of a new president--and the new direction it signals for America--has necessitated a bit of soul searching, considering that so much of the focus of my blog has been devoted to countering ill-advised actions by the Bush administration. However, now that Obama has finally officially taken office, I think that some degree of normalcy can resume.

The bottom line is that I intend to keep blogging, and hopefully much more frequently than I have been. Things are going to remain ridiculously busy for me for the time being, though, so your continued patience is much appreciated as always.