Happy new year, everyone.

It’s been a long one, and I’m still here. After everything, after the hurricane of life that was 2018, I’m still here. And more importantly, I’m still me!

Leaving everyone hanging after An Amputation was obviously not my desire, and for those who follow me and my life, I apologize for letting my blog rust a bit. This is fairly standard behavior at this point, though, so… yeah.

It’s the new year though, and this is going to be a good one. I can feel it. I’m out of a toxic environment, and an ill-fitting occupation. I’m in a new job that, while perhaps not my ideal occupation, suits me well for the time being. More importantly, I’m done with my first semester of PhD classes, and beginning a new one in February. My curation of this blog will, as usual, be up in the air, but I hope to write in it more frequently.

As it is the new year, such is the time to make resolutions for the year to come, promises made to one’s self that inevitably tend to get broken. But this year, I have three achievable goals to attain that I’ll share:

1. Learn Italian well enough to take the research language proficiency exam.
2. Get a paper of mine published.
3. Explore California with my wife, DeSay.

The first is a rather bare minimum goal. It’s necessary, and required. Nonetheless, it’s important to make a goal like this anyways. I need to be active about it. I plan on using Duolingo to get there, so if you want to buddy up with me, I’m down for it, just message me!

The second is a lifelong dream of mine. I’m a writer, and I’ve always dreamt of making writing my living. Getting a paper published is a big first step in that direction. It’s daunting, but I want it. So why not this year?

Finally, I need to make progress with not only my career, but with myself and with my relationship with my wife. When we were dating, we’d often message each other, and dream about traveling all over the world. As we may not have the means to be world travelers, we can make the time this year to travel our own backyard a bit. There’s tons to do out here. I’m still new to the state. I want to see Yellowstone, and the beaches of San Diego. I want to see the mountains of the Sierra Nevadas, and everything this state has to offer. And I want to do it with my soulmate.

I’ve got a new life out here, one I’ve always wanted. Therefore, I’m going to start the year with optimism, renewed by purpose and a wide open world to explore, personally and professionally.

I’ve been given a chance few ever get. I’m gonna make the most of it.