I meant to write this on Sunday the first or that is when I first started it but somehow raising a 2 week old has sapped my motivation for the time being. So let's see where we stand with the old resolutions through February.
1) Volunteer: Yeah right, this ain't (and yes it is now in the dictionary) happening. With four kids 5 and under I don't see the occurring in the new future but who knows maybe I will get stung by some bug.
2) Pay Down Debt: No credit card use again this month. So that is good and the car should be paid off this year. There is of course the looming threat of student loans - that are marching down the corridor like a white elephant but we will see how that goes.
3) Be a more patient father: Since I've gone to work full time, I've become very popular with the kids - maybe because I'm a novel concept but they like to play with me. Right now we are working on establishing rituals that we go through on a daily basis. They all line up to give me a hug and kiss goodbye in the morning (even Ranger). We are getting better at eating dinner as a family and the "favorite part of your day" ritual is getting more instilled - sometime Spencer will even start it. Finally, I read them bedtime stories every night, which is my favorite part of the day. I remember when I was a child sitting in my Mom's blue chair in the living room and having her read me stories. This seems to be improving everyone's moods, including mine. We (i.e Jen) have also been reading more parenting books to help us find novel ways around conflict with the kids.
4) Read Two Books a month: See February book report for last month. This month is Prey by Michael Crichton and Likelihood by A.W. F. Edwards. The latter of these is a must read for anyone interested in statistical genomics . Edwards is a pretty fascinating cat as he was Fisher's last student and has some pretty good ideas regarding statistics. This book deals with the concept of likelihood, which is not probability and is more appropriate for hypothesis testing. So I will probably break this one out by chapter and blog about it.
5) Publish, Publish, Publish - So one of the papers is done and is just getting final approval before submission. That one is pretty cool - a joint linkage - gene/specific association study on bilirubin and a gene UGT1A1. A second paper that I'm co-author just needs to have the discussion hammered out. I am in the throes of finishing the figures and tables for another. So that is three. I have another one from my dissertation after that. Then a final one on frailty index, biological aging, and mortality in religous isolates from the midwest.
6) Be a more substantsive blogger: Yeah right -see number one
7) Take a vacation: I'm going back to Kansas for graduation. so that will be my vacation. Hopefully, Jennifer and the kids can come but the problem comes with the hell hounds, newborn, etc.
8) Find a hobby: So this one is coming along. I've decided on gardening and am looking into square foot gardening. This seems like the best option for us with a dwarf citrus tree should help the food budget and get me outside in the yard. We also have Lorelei's placenta in the freezer and I'm incredibly nervous is going to come visit and cook it so we need to plant that under a tree.
9) Spend one on one time with the kids: I'm getting better at this. Spencer likes to play hot wheels with me, Xavier generally Transformers, Knights, etc. Cordy like to stack blocks and knock them over. Lorelei like to watch Akira Kurosawa films at 2:00 in the morning. Ranger and Blossom like long walks - although Blossom doesn't like to leave Lorelei. Jennifer like to hang out and watch Top Chef. The cats and I have a mutal exclusion contract that we are operating with.
Double monkey Lent update bonus: So I've made it over a week on one cup of coffee and haven't killed anyone yet. There is of course lots of military hardware in San Antonio though so that option remains open.
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