Here I am.

I know I have been absent quite a bit. It is hard to make an appearance when you don't have your own computer. Ok, I admit that I have also been a tad lazy as of late. I'm on vacation, though, so it is understandable.

Things have been busy. I am back in San Diego and Sara is in Chile. Tomorrow I start my drive back to Washington despite the forecasts for a horrible storm. These forecasts have intimidated me and led me to plan my trip back along the coast. I do not want to get stuck because of snow-closed mountain passes. The trip will be slower and I am adding an extra day to the journey. If all goes well, I will be back on Wednesday.

In other news...
Just before Christmas I had a phone interview for a position at a college in Southern California. It must of gone well because they have invited me for a campus interview. This means that I am probably among the last 3 or 4 candidates. This is a big confidence booster, but at the same time it has made things much more hectic. I am flying down for the interview less than a week after I get back. Before I do I need to prepare a lecture on my research and teach an Intro to Anthro class. I also had to find someone to look after the dog while I am gone and I still need to figure out what to do with my own class since I will be missing the second and third meetings. Not a good way to start the semester.

During my visit here in San Diego I went to see my best friend from high school's daughter who is in the hospital with cancer. She had a tumor in her leg that has spread. While that tumor has shruck with chemo, she now has cancerous growths in her lungs. To be honest, when she was diagnosed almost two years ago, I doubted that she would live this long. But her outlook is not that good. While we were there, they had to reinsert the catheter in her chest where she receives medications and numerous other fluids. She began screaming and crying even before they touched her. As they inserted the needle, she screamed in a way I have never heard anyone scream. My heart goes out to this child who a couple of years ago was a vibrant and joyful little girl. Now she is a lonely and scared little person in a hospital. I must say though that the Children's Hospital in San Diego is an outstanding institution.

Yesterday I went to donate blood into my friend's daughter's account. It was the least I could do. If any of you in the San Diego area have a pint of blood that you don't know what to do with, please consider donating it at the San Diego Blood Bank - account YG01.

I should get back to my packing. I will be gone for a couple of days again, but I am sure you will all do fine without me. You always do. I will try to make an appearance when I get back to Washington, although things are bound to be hectic and busy.

I hope you all are well.