Long time, no post…

Turns out that during the semester, not much passes the ‘interesting enough to write about’ threshold.  Sorry kids, this old lady just can’t get excited about the grad school admissions process anymore.  Good luck to all involved though.

What I can get excited about is the fact that the man in my life found a job!  He’s also at MIT, and is also graduating with his PhD in the Spring (except he really is, I’m still only hoping).  His new job would start in the Fall and require him to move to Portland (Oregon) – which now gives us a classic “two body problem” (I hate that phrase) to solve.  At this point, it’s not a question of deciding whether or not he should take the job – it’s practically his dream job and the alternative is unemployment – it’s a question of whether or not I should follow him.  I hear Portland is lovely…

But I don’t hug trees.

But it’s far from everything.

But the options for neuroscientists are limited (though non-zero).

But mostly, I’d only be moving there for a boy.

My feminist principles are angry that in 2008, this is still the decision – advance my career and compromise a relationship, or advance a relationship and compromise a career.  Of course that’s an oversimplification, but you see my point.  And if I were the one with the great offer on the other side of the country, would my man follow me?  I can’t speak for this man in this hypothetical situation, but in another life, when I came to MIT, that man said no, and I can list only a handful of examples of other couples in which the men followed their women.  So the odds are not good.

Whew, that rant felt good!  But it doesn’t help make any decisions, nor does it help me graduate, so for now – back to work!