School

It's hard watching my partner's struggles through her doctoral program through the lens of my own difficulties with my start at a master's. If I have children who want to do a Ph.D with an eye toward teaching and research, I will do some long and hard soul-searching with them. I wouldn't say it's simply a bad idea, but it's hard in so many ways that are difficult to understand without direct experience.

Some Badly-Needed Election Joy

Danica Roem became Virginia's first transgender person to be elected (she will join the state House of Representatives), defeating the jackass who called himself "Virginia's chief homophobe."

That, along with the two Democratic wins in state governor's races (Virginia and New Jersey), makes me feel a bit less despondent over my country's political future. The Democratic win in the mayoral race in St. Petersburg, Florida is reassuring too. Though perhaps not surprising given the concentration of blue in urban areas, Florida is such a battleground state that it contributes to a feeling of hope anyway.

There was no Fall election here in Illinois. Barring incapacity, I'm going to be voting in the next one. Please, do the same. We can't be complacent about this.