That New Year's Resolution Thing...

I'm a horrible blogger. I am already failing at my New Year's resolution to blog more often.

In my defense, school this semester is absolutely insane. It is my last semester of grad school and my class load is, oddly, more work than last semester, even though I had 17 credits last semester and only needed 13 this one. Part of that is due to the fact that I am taking an extra class that isn't required, which brings me up to 16 credits. Oops. I will get to that. Plus, I have to write my scholarly paper to actually qualify for my degree. I finally picked my topic, and have done nearly nothing since then! It's a pretty big deal and a fair amount of work that I'm sure I will get to eventually.

The extra class I am taking is actually a Philosophy class. I have never taken Philosophy before (not even "Intro to"). This class is called Science and Ethics and is taught by a well-renowned ethicist who made his way in the field working for good animal treatment in laboratories. Animal research is important in my field, and something that I have strong negative feelings towards. In that light, I think I am getting something important out of this class. Though it is a lot more work than I was originally planning on. That's life, I guess.

I don't have a life. Even on Friday nights and Saturdays I do homework, reading, and studying. And in between, I am trying to update my resume to prepare for job searching. As much as I love coffee, I am feeling very ready to leave Starbucks.

In other news, I am going to be an aunt again! I am very excited about this. Other good news: our condo repairs are coming along, slowly, but surely. I will post about that (it's mostly written, it just needs some modifying).

Unfortunately, my New Year's resolution may have to wait until school is out. I will try to keep updating though! Thanks for being patient with me!

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the marvelous, magical..."

~Cats "Mr. Mistoffelees

It is past time for me to introduce my niece. Yes, I am an aunt! Isaac's lovely sister, Liz, had a little girl on June 8th. Her name is Wren Matilda!

Isn't she adorable? Being an aunt is definitely fun! I think I get all of the fun parts and I can hand Wren back to mom and dad if she gets too fussy.

For those of you who don't know me as well, my experience with children has been limited and awkward. Despite occasional lessons from my friend, Julia (mother of two), I don't know how to interact with them. And I have never changed a diaper (though I am sure that will change in the near future). While I dislike many children and feel out of place with the rest, Wren can stay. I love her already. Maybe it's because she is family, but I like her so much better than other kids and babies. I feel much more comfortable with her than I ever have with other children (though that doesn't say much since I still don't know what I am doing). I also attribute that to her being family. I know and am friends with Liz and Peter, and I know the family so I know the boundaries and what to expect.

Babies sure change the dynamics of a family. Everyone is so excited about a new baby (but, let's be honest, who wouldn't be excited about this cutie?) and everyone wants to be around. I think this is a good thing. For one, it's nice to have people around to help the new parents. For another, I think establishing strong family ties early on is important. Regardless of the reasons, Isaac and I have been over there an awful lot and so have other family members and friends.

Anyway, I am infinitely proud to be an aunt (Auntie Mara? Aunt Samara? I guess Wren will decide that one day). Liz and Peter have been amazing parents! It has been almost as fun to watch them grow as parents and people as it has been to hold Wren. You will probably see more about her in the future! I am so excited!