T-minus 9 Days

Not for the baby; I had her exactly two months ago.  Here are my kids looking at each other:

Sorry to have been gone for a bit longer than I meant, reader.  Baby #2 has been excellent and wonderful, but she is still a baby and so takes a fair amount of work.  But the thing that has been taking a lot of my time is this other thing I’ve been working on/gestating for a few years rather than just nine months:

I am excited and nervous and mostly exhausted, if you couldn’t tell by my half-assed abstract that I wrote in thirty seconds.  I still have to write the talk, and I’m sending my committee the final draft of my thesis today.  Since it’s been a long time since I’ve given a math talk, I’m doing a practice version next Monday here at UT/clean out my office, then next Wednesday we’re packing up the whole family and flying to Chicago for the big event.  That same day, the photographers are coming to photograph our house, and we’re listing it the next day and having an open house while we’re out of town.  That means that for the past month or so whenever I had a free moment I packed a box of stuff and put it in the attic (or napped).  So… it’s been busy.

i’m not too good at doing anything when baby is nursing (as she is now, just started) but i wanted to update y’all and tell you i’m fine, just busy with life things.  after june 8 hopefully house will be sold and they’ll let me graduate so i’ll have more time (but still have a baby).   after spending a week at IAS two weeks ago TAing a class while nursing a baby, i have some more thoughts on self-doubt and ambition.  but that’ll wait.  also a series of posts on my thesis forthcoming!