Since last summer, a lot has happened. 

In brief:

1- I got a job and am now working at the Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute in a lab that does research on chromatin modifications.  

2- I made a sourdough starter from scratch.  It involves mixing flour with water, allowing the natural yeasts that are present in flour to become active and replicate and months later, you have a living organism that you can keep in a jar.  I am beginning to believe the only pets I should be trusted with are live cultures.  Perhaps I should try yogurt, next.  

3- Early in September, Geoff and I went to Italy for vacation and for a couple of track meets.  I ran the 100m dash for the first time in 12+ years, and didn't hurt myself.  I also came in last place.  I didn't care - I was in Italy.  Did you know that the Uffizi Gallery has a boathouse beneath it?  Fantastic use of space!  

4-  We went home for Christmas this year.  It was a surprise for both our mothers.  Boy, were they surprised - though they showed it in different ways.  Geoff's mom was very emotional and cried for about ten minutes.  My mom was as cool as a cucumber.  I believe her exact words were, 'Oh good, you're here.  Go get some food.' (we were in a buffet style restaurant at the time)

Geoff and I have been kept busy - Geoff, with the research, writing and some teaching; me, with the lab work, coaching and the crazy bits of cooking.  My most recent bit of coaching was for the Fellows of Trinity College.  They are a nice bunch of academics and there doesn't seem to be a bias towards one subject or another.  We have a Classicist in the cox's seat, an Engineer at stroke, a Chemist at 7, a furniture maker (spouse of a fellow) at 6, a Mathematician at 5, a Historian who subbed in for the mathmo, a Developmental Biologist at 4, a former senior burser at 3, and two theologians in the bow pair.  I have enjoyed working with them and it is slightly amusing to see men who are top scholars learn to row.  Much of the time, I find myself telling them to stop thinking so much.  They are, thankfully, receptive to my comments and are a bunch of jokers.  The other day, we raced behind one of our undergraduate boats and upon our return to the boathouse, they were discussing the time it took to row the course.  They came in at 8 minutes 22 seconds.  One of them asked one of the chaplains what time the Fellows had rowed.  The chaplain looked at him and said with a straight face, 'Seven fifty.'  They really rowed the course in 9:41, but the funny thing is that this chaplain just finished writing a book on Christian ethics.