Rejoining the World, Step by Step

Well, I can officially, unequivocally say that it is AWESOME to be back. I'm still sort of readjusting to some new scenery around the area, and primarily to the fact that I'm now the parent of a one year-old (and that everyone who ever told me that parenthood changes you was completely right, in new ways that I'm constantly discovering).

Most of all, it's just nice to wake up in my own bed, next to my wife and amidst all of our own surroundings, which we more or less control -- all of which is very unlike waking up in a tent with 40 other guys in Manas, Kyrgyzstan, or a room with 11 other guys and the morning, uhh...symphony that created in Fort Dix.

The short-term challenge is figuring out just what to do for the next several months -- I start business school full-time in late August, but with my earned leave set to expire in late March, well, that's a bit of a gap in time. I went to a job interview yesterday which seemed to be going swimmingly, until I dropped the "I would have to leave in six months" bomb, at which point the proverbial music screeched and everyone stopped dancing.

I'm viewing that as a blessing in disguise, though. I should probably be a bit careful about jumping right into whatever it is that I jump into too soon.

In the meantime, there's plenty of opportunity for diaper changes, nursery rhymes on YouTube, and trying to prevent someone who doesn't know any better from attempting to eat anything her hands can pick up!