Catching up

Where have I been? Geez, it seems like too long since the last update. Here are a few little snippets here just to catch up my readership and refresh my own memory.

I spent a pair of weekends in Robinson, IL, at Kristin's family's place. Wow, it was wonderful, exactly as I pictured it. Over the two weekends we got a day in Terre Haute for JW's holiday Barbershop concert, an evening at the bar with K's sis, a nice run with the puppies (two nice big golden retrievers), and pre-Christmas dinner with the family and some friends of theirs. Santa was nice to me, and K's folks gave me a really nice fishing rod.

I finished off my semester's work as well. Turned in a review paper on mechanics of heart valves, delivered a presentation/business plan/sales pitch about a surgical instrument startup, took a hard exam about molecular foundations of medicine and an easy exam on personal finance.

Celebrated the season twice. Once K and I had our Christmas at her apartment, with a delicious home-cooked meal and gifts under the tree and in our stockings. She "spoiled" her gift previously: when we were in the mall she asked if I'd ever been to Build-a-Bear Workshop, and I couldn't hold back my smile, having made her a bear with a cute little fleece and a corduroy purse and hat. The second celebration was for the Biomedical Engineering Department holiday party, where we had a tasty buffet-line dinner with my professors and fellow grad students, and got tipsy on wine and laughed at faculty singing karaoke.