Hours of daylight – 13:36

43 Days since my last entry. Look how much shorter the days have become.

In the past 43 days many things have happened. First we flew to Baltimore for a bunch of days in order to do a thorough “on the ground” inspection. We looked at over 18 places for sale. We met Tom Dixon, owner of what i’ve come to call “the Toy Store” which is a funky building for sale in the Upper Fells Point neighborhood. We looked at row houses that would fetch millions were they located in New York City. The trip, like everything surrounding the Baltimore job, proved inconclusive.

Upon returning to MSP Annette threw herself into her upcoming dissertation defense, and, on August 19th, 2004, she successfully defended. Aside from some minor housekeeping chores she is now officially done with the PhD.

On Sunday, August 22 she officially turned 40 years old.

On Tuesday, August 24 she officially declined the Baltimore job.

It is now Thursday, August 26th, and the just about the only event i can honestly report as fact is today is the opening day of the Minnesota State Fair. Don’t misunderstand, i’m proud as a peacock of Annette’s accomplishment. I’m also 100% in support of the decision to decline the Baltimore job. But the ongoing concern over what comes next is really beginning to wear on me.

Despite all my worry i can say one more thing with certainty: Anette is feeling pretty good. It is always better to hunt for work when you’re feeling solid and enthusiastic.

We plan to hold a picnic to celebrate the recent events. We’d hoped it would be a three-part celebration: PhD, Birthday, and Farewell Minnesota. It would seem we’ll have to settle for two out of three. But, as i’ve tried to clarify in the past, there’s really nothing wrong with staying here longer. Surely her 40th birthday and even more surely gaining the PhD are cause enough for celebration.