So I had a nice Thanksgiving break. Good to get away from work and hang out with the family. Even better to escape the cold and live it up in So Cal sunny weather. Little did I know that I would return to a winter wonderland! Our place is covered in like 5 inches of snow. Driving down to Pullman from the airport we watched the thermometer drop to -4, yes that is a negative sign! Crazy. My friend Jason who picked us up has a big old truck (but not snow tires) and it got stuck in front of my house. So I helped him fish it out of the snow when suddenly my hands just started hurting like mad. I forgot that I probably should cover up my hands while in below zero weather. I think I was like 10 min away from frostbite. Warming them by the fire just plain hurt. I really cannot comprehend that it really is that cold outside. Like my brain cannot compute that absence of heat. I am so looking forward to tomorrow. Here's the weather report- morning wake up temp - 0, a warm 12 during lunch time. Currently its -2 outside. And still- I had to have a bowl of ice cream... We'll take some photos tomorrow and post them.

Well, it snowed the other day. I actually live in a place where it snows... Of course the day it snowed was a nightmare for me. Lucas had not pooped in like 5 days and I thought was going to die. Perhaps I'll back up. Any that know my one year old son, know that he grunts it out a couple times a week, but he gets the job done. Well he suddenly just stopped all together. So we went to the doctor and they suggested milk of magnesia. On the bottle it says that if this doesn't work consult a doctor because you might have a serious medical problem. So I was like great... Of course it did nothing, and so I went down the whole my kid has a disease route. So, I was at the store picking up an enema- lovely I know- and I get a phone call from the car. Lucas is throwing up. So perhaps I watch to many dramatic medical shows, but whenever there is vomit involved it is always a deadly result. So I demand that Rachel go to the doctors immediately. Luckily she is calm and tells me that she will go at her appointment time since the doctor is not even there yet. So I disheartingly agree, wondering if this decision is going to result in my child's death and I will never forgive myself. Well the hours go by, and the doctor gives him the enema. Well let me tell you, that did the trick. Oh god did it do the trick. Rachel described the immediate explosion at the doctors office, and the repeat performance a few hours later at home. I didn't really get to appreciate it until later that night when a third clearing event occurred. I'll spare you the details. Good news is that now he is fine. Just everytime he goes now (which is a couple times a day) we have to give him a bath. Yeah, Hershey squirt meets 1 gallon bucket of water spilling out- sorry... Just be glad I don't post photos. The oddest part is that I somehow developed sympathy shits. I was willing him to crap so much that I literally went like 5 times that day. Oh crap, I hear him now. God only knows what awaits....

Happy news! I have made the "short list" at University of Louisville. What that means is that I am likely one of the ten or so they have selected to phone interview out of the 200ish applications. This is a big time research school, so I am quite hyped about the opportunity! Louisville looks like a nice place to live as well. Apparently, it consistently lands in one of the top ten most desirable places to live in the US. Hopefully this is the first of many...

Halloween photo I promised. We went today to a Washington State Basketball game. Much warmer than football! It was an exhibition game, so it was free and not too crowded. Lucas got to give the Couger mascot a high five! Should have brought the camera...

Sorry, still no photos. The wireless at home is acting up. But I thought I would provide you all a list of where I am applying (so far).
University of Oregon, Sacramento State University, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, Yale University, Villanova University, University of Louisville, Texas Christian University, Stony Brook University, Rice University, College of William and Mary, Cal Poly San Louis Obispo, Loyola Marymount University, James Madison University, Eastern Connecticut State University, Penn State University, Oklahoma State University, Fordham University, University of Houston, Brown University, Cal State Channel Islands, Southern Illinois University, Florida State University, UC Irvine, and Eastern Michigan University.
That's it... for now. Only 24 so far...
I better get at least one interview or I will feel like a loser.