So what's new around here

I've gotten married. A couple of weeks ago, at a beautiful ceremony in the town where we live . We couldn't have done it a better place and got to share a small piece of our life here to family and friends from home. After weeks of downpour we got clear fall skies for part of the day and light wind and drizzling for dramatic effect during our photo session. We got to gather family and friends, who otherwise never meet, for a few days and see them have a good time together, and to meet all of them at the same time. With being perpetually on the move keeping a social life together is always an issue, and seeing friends and family together is an extraordinary event. I cherished the time before and after the wedding we were able to spend with our families and to see how much they enjoyed sharing the day with us. Much of this wedding was planned last minute and on the phone from far-off places and yet I couldn't have dreamed of a more perfect day. Afterwards, I've had People ask me if being married makes a difference, and yes, I think it does.

I am maybe on the job market. It's all a good thing, I think, but also strangely unsettling. Deep down I don't really like change. You will get to hear more about this one way or the other, but for now I can't say much.

I'm home. For the first time in months I am not only here as a short stopover to do laundry and repack my bags, but I'm actually going to stay here - uninterrupted- for weeks on end.

Resurfaced

Sorry for leaving you all behind without any notice whatsoever. The more time I spent away from the blog, the more difficult it was for me to get back to it. I've been dreading this site to the point where I didn't even go back to look at my blog roll, but somehow I knew that I wasn't about to quit but just didn't know where to go.

I've contemplated changing the format, the theme, the language and everything else about this blog, but keep coming back to the idea of keeping the style I've got. I'm not sure I like my own voice here. I feel it tends to be too bragging and self-congratulating since acknowledging my own achievements is partly what I have used it for or the other option is to be too whiny. At the moment I don't know exactly where I'm heading but I know I still want to write here and that I need the blog and the community here to help me process the thoughts about career and life-issues that I can't really share with my colleagues.

This summer have been one of the most stressful times of my life. I know other people cram more activities into their days than I do, but apparently my limit is here. I have been traveling on and off, but more or less continuously since mid May, done extensive field work for two different projects each with their difficulties, had my first experience as expedition leader under difficult circumstances with a malfunctioning group, taught a summer field course, taught regular classes and given my first key-note lecture at a conference. I have been burned out to the point where the mere thought of popping in here to leave a note about my lack of presence was unfathomable. Lately all sorts of physical ailments have been popping their head out and even I can tell it's time for a change of pace.

Sorry to be such a downer, but maybe the story of burning oneself out too easily isn't just my story, but the story for many of us early career people, working too hard to get ourselves established.

I'm back in a more reasonable work pace for now. After last weeks guest lecturer stint I'm now back in my own office, with my own projects. I'm also off the hook as department head as the person I was replacement for is back from sabbatical. I'm actually looking at full days of research time and no imminent deadlines hanging above my head.

A very lame 100th post

As the title says this is my 100th post and I definitely had something more decadent in mind for this milestone, than saying "I'm back, but too tired to say anything", but that's more or less what I'm going to say here. It has been more than a week since I returned from the field but I feel as energetic as a wet towel. The field season was harder than usual for many reasons and where I am usually tired after being in the field, this time I am drained. The trip was ill-planned due to lack of our usual collaborator and the new group didn't really work well together. We have travelled more than usual, been away for longer time and had more scientific focuses than I remember from any other field trip and while the results are exciting I'm just bone-tired from trying to keep the whole circus together. I am working on my recovery by doing very little, eating plenty of fresh strawberries and reading an extremely funny book written in my mother tongue, where for once I DO get all the cultural references.

Basically, I just wanted to let you know that I'm here, even if I'm not speaking much, and that I'm on my way back to blogging.