That new-blog smell

Well. Here we are.

I am officially the 245th million (245 millionth?) visitor to the World of Blogging. (Motto: As much fun as Disneyworld, but you don't have to pay to park.) Why, you may ask (if there were any of you reading this) am I beginning to blog? My reasons, in random order:

• I do not find the chance to use parentheses enough in my daily life. Hence, I must supplement here. (Make sense?)
  
• I am too lazy/unmotivated/busy to keep a journal, but blogging will be fun! And easy! And it will allow me to work through some of the noise of life, leaving me a saner, more peaceful, centered person. I will probably grow a halo.
• During a difficult time in my life, I found a great deal of wisdom, perspective and hope in certain blogs, and I wonder if I might be able to return the favor somehow.
• "Blog" is just so much fun to say, and typing it is even better. It's like finger calisthenics.

I have spent some time (less than I should, but more than was my natural tendency) deciding what my focus here will be. My husband helpfully pointed out that my one true area of expertise is being in school, and unfortunately, he is right. I am currently in the middle of my second foray into grad school, after having a few other careers thrown in the middle. My first experience in school was immediately after college, and I was in the wrong field. (I know that now, but there was much tooth-gnashing at the time.) This go-round, I entered into school a bit more intentionally, then complicated the experience by having a baby during my first semester. Now, as I am finishing my 5th year (yoiks!), I am lucky enough to have two healthy children and a dissertation that is beginning to take shape.

All of this leads to the topics on which I am intending to focus: getting through graduate school, having a family and enjoying the intersection of the two. Plus, there will probably be lots of drivel.