getting back on the horse

Well it's been over a year since I last posted. Though it's been a busy year, the main reason I have not written has to do with my Nana passing away in June. She was the only person I know of who read this blog faithfully. Right after I would post something should would email within a day or two to say how she had had a hunch I had posted, hurried to the blog, and saw she was correct! Often when I've written here, I've written with her in mind. Once she was gone, there seemed no point in continuing, since no one else was reading as far as I know. I couldn't even think about the blog without getting a little choked up. But now that some healing time has passed, I think I will get back to writing in order to pursue my original goal of this blog: to keep a record for myself of some experiences and important trends in my thinking that I can look back on. I will continue to think of Nana, but I can thank God that my thoughts of her are now accompanied by a peace that I did not possess a few months ago. Still, it is hard to think that she will not be reading this, and I will not go visit her on my arrival home from England.

It's been a pretty eventful year, with the standout event being my wedding and marriage. It's a real feeling of bliss, to be permanently bound to someone you love, and to have a companion who knows you deeply. All my stressing about the wedding seems pretty frivolous to me now. It was a lovely day (though I was exhausted from 2 sleepless nights before it) and it was nice to see so many of our friends and celebrate with them, but at the end of the day, the marriage part is just so much more important, it really dwarfs any concerns about flowers or favors, etc. So my advice to future brides is to stay focused on the real event (starting your life with someone) and don't get too upset about the day it starts. I'm also glad we didn't spend more money than we did!

Living in London has been great. There are always new shops and parks to discover, and what a huge assortment of vintage! I should probably get a side job just so I can beef up my vintage collection before we leave. Our church is so young and vibrant and there are always people who want to hang out. My program has focused on lots of topics I have always been curious about, and has also really helped me to understand certain macro economic concepts much better. I've developed a real interest in fiscal policy, especially on the revenue generating side of things. My dissertation will hopefully examine why Latin America has never relied as much on direct taxation as the Western "rich" countries' governments do. I wish there was a way to turn this interest (or my interest in international trade and multinational corporations) into a good job as an economist! We shall see.

Okay well I don't mean to make this a long entry. I merely wanted to start blogging again to break the inertia against it. I will try to write again soon. Perhaps I will use it as a study tool like I did a little last year.