Drawing to a Finish

The holidays are now well underway. I've turned in all my final papers, given my final presentation, and am now studying for my last two exams for the semester. My latest manuscript have been turned in, and I have another manuscript to work on over the holidays. As it stands right now, The Crashers will be coming to you very soon. This is both exciting and very scary, in equal measures.

Things are now beginning to wind down for me as 2015 draws to a quiet, odd close. I have reading to catch up on, and projects I'd like to finish. The second Crashers book Koreatown will hopefully be in something close to working order by mid-January. In a perfect world, I'd like to have this book out by the end of 2016 or the beginning of 2017, but we'll see. Books come together as they need to, and not a moment before. I'm trying to bear that in mind as much as possible, these days.

I also have a presentation to begin work on over the break, for an academic conference I'll be attending in March. After many months of wrestling with whether to go to graduate school, I'm using this as an opportunity to cut my teeth a bit. It's just a small annual conference, highlighting exceptional undergrad research, but it's a start. My favorite professor, whom I admire a great deal, is going to mentor me through the process. I'm pretty nervous, but also pretty excited, about it.

I'm looking forward to having some quiet for a little while, before the semester starts back up. I want to get back to work. Back to feeling productive. In January, my girlfriend Melissa will be flying in for a visit, which is something to look forward to. More than anything, I'm just trying to slow down and enjoy things as much as I can. And to give myself the space to enjoy them. Life isn't a race, as I've been so often reminded.

For now, I'm doing my best to believe it.