Hungry Hippo

I'm back to posting. I have been crazy busy here, and so much has happened in the last week. My girl Sparks came to visit, and I have many stories about our adventures. Also, a friend/labmate defended her thesis, so there has been much distraction and celebration. Her impending graduation also means that my status in the lab is changing--my new title of "senior grad student" is pending. This new title implies the possession of a sort of knowledge or wisdom or some kind of know-how. Unfortunately, I fear that these skills have passed me by in some way, which leads me to question my ability to take on responsibility. I'm flaky, I know it, and this last week, I got many inquiries from friends wondering what was up with the lack of posting. So here I am, back to reporting the highlights of what I manage to ingest. Next time I go long stretches with no posting, I promise to post in advance and say so. I've heard it's the polite thing to do.