Matthew Zimmerman

Well, it has been two months since I announced I would write every day, and since that time, I posted a grand total of three blog posts. (So I was little off.) Part of the problem is that I am often moved to write about topics I decide are too personal to post here. My name's in big green letters at the top of this page, and I'm paranoid about the consequences of what could happen if I were to post the wrong piece of private information in this space. So I err on the side of caution, probably too far. As a result, all that you get are occasional posts about novelty carols in half-dead languages and double entendres about jazz singers. (Please forgive me for the Norah Jones thing, by the way.)

One of these personal stories is that my family conspired together to give me a laptop, a Dell Inspiron, for Christmas. I'm writing this post on it right now. I plan to finish my Ph.D. work this year, and as you might guess, this requires a fair amount of writing: papers, presentations, dissertations. I have a computer at home and use another computer regularly in the lab, but they differ in operating systems, software installed, and general capabilities. I no longer have to worry about a lot of problems I would have had transferring data and converting files, and now I can get out of the house and work if I have to. (God bless Panera's wireless access.) This was an extraordinary gift, and I am honored by it.

To be honest, I feel truly blessed to have Mom, Dad, Ben, and Suz in my life, computer or no computer. If it weren't for their love and support, I wouldn't have made it here in grad school as far as I have. More times than I can count, a call or two to Pennsylvania has given me the strength I need to keep going. So if I haven't made it clear before, folks, thank you. I love you guys.