Hi everyone, it’s been a while. I doubt anyone has been refreshing the page waiting for an update, but here’s one anyway.

The short version is that grad school ate my life. I signed up for a full load of five courses this semester. It seemed ambitious when I enrolled and felt borderline crazy by week three. Somehow every deadline landed in the same stretch, and June turned into a blur of papers and late nights. I really do love reading and writing, and you’d think that would make all this easier. It didn’t.

I’ll be honest: there were a few breakdowns along the way. I got through all five courses, though, and four of them went well. The fifth is the one I kept putting off, and I ended up with a B+. It’s not a disaster, but I know I could have done better if I’d started earlier instead of telling myself I had plenty of time. Lesson learned, hopefully for good this time.

The moment I turned in my last paper, I went to a camp with my brother. Going straight from mental exhaustion to the physical kind probably wasn’t the most restful choice. But it got me playing table tennis again, which I’d dropped while school took over, and I’d forgotten how much I love it.

The bigger news is that I’ve started seriously thinking about a PhD. It’s still early. I’ve been looking at a few programs, and they’re the kind of schools that make me excited and nervous in equal measure. Some days I think I have a real shot, and other days I wonder if I’m reaching too high. I’d be thrilled to get into even one, so wish me luck.

There’s also something else in the works that I’m not ready to talk about yet. I don’t want to jinx it, but I hope I’ll have good news to share soon.

That’s where things stand. It’s been a rough couple of months, but I’m still here, and I feel a lot more ready for what’s next than I did in June. Thanks for sticking around, and talk soon.