My Journey:

February 2008

It's been a snowy winter.  I am happy for that.  Even as I was shoveling snow with nowhere easy to put it, I kept reminding myself of how much the Great Lakes need the water.  That's much bigger than me.

Then... last Friday, I heard on the radio that my suspicions are confirmed.  High snow levels are expected to lead to higher lake levels this summer.  While they may not be back to normal levels, the historic lows that we have been having lately have been very distressing.  And I'm not even one of those people who have twenty yards of weeds between their yard and the lake, weeds they haven't been able to do anything about (lest they destroy the natural habitat found in those weeds).

Living in Bay City, as I do, I suppose that it is increasingly important to worry about lake levels, though not everyone does.  There are so many events in the summer (boat races, fireworks, pig-gig, and frequently visits by the tall ships) that are greatly affected by the lake levels, and in return the level of the Saginaw River as it runs through Bay City.

On a personal level, the euphoria of completing my PhD has been wearing off, even though the smile frequently returns.  On the other hand, I have been finding myself getting more motivated as of late, taking on tasks that are generally productive, and quite satisfying.  My most recent task has been to work on stripping paint off the wood-work on the second-floor hall.  I'm not so sure why anyone would paint over beautiful oak trim, but I guess that was the norm 50 years ago.  I began working on this as it is labor-intensive, but quite rewarding and virtually cost-free.  My tax return will be back soon, and the first thing I plan to do is pay off my van.  Ultimately, then I will have the ability to spend more money on the house, or maybe my old car.  Hmmm.

Finally, I broke down and bought myself a Wii in February.  I just figured it was time, as I was having so much fun playing the darn things, that I thought I should get one of my own.  I am not disappointed.

Going forward, and back on the subject of motivation... I have been wanting to do a website redesign, and now I am getting more in the mood to do so.  I always said once I was done with school, I would look toward starting that project.  Well... now I don't have the excuse.  My thought is to start out with separating out the content that is based on my house into site of its own... then move forward from there.  Now that it is in writing, I guess that I am committed.

last modified March 9, 2008

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