Groovy thread, man. I have some pretty big news. Six years on the tenure track at a public flagship state university… my dean called me this afternoon to inform me that I have been awarded tenure! I have a job for life unless I kill someone, or beat a student (against his or her will)!
I will now finish unpacking boxes in my house, I’ll be staying here for a while. 
Congratulations, Professor Hollow! 
Like!
My wife became a naturalized U.S. citizen yesterday. It was a long and expensive process, but it’s been worth it. Also, today is our fourth anniversary, so it’s been a big week!
Congratulations! and Happy Anniversary!
Today marks the second anniversary of my Dope-created marriage. All hail Cecil!
Today is the spouse’s and my 25th anniversary!
Doesn’t feel like anywhere near that long.
My husband,** Library1900**, has been going through a lot of health problems. He suffered Sudden Cardiac Arrest in September, was in the hospital for 11 days, got an internal defibrillator put in, and since then has been going in pretty much monthly because his implant keeps firing.
Today marks 30 days since the last time he went to the hospital. It looks like physical therapy is really helping. He’s also getting counselling for PTSD. Fingers crossed, he won’t be in again this year!
WOOT! I have been awarded a fellowship to a memoir-writing class! Thank you, Joshua Bodwell, Executive Director of the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance! I saw a notice in the local newspaper about this event, and re-worked a little story that I had written years ago about John Lee Hooker Jr. for the Anchorage Daily News. I submitted it to the organization for my writing sample … oddly enough, this same piece got me into a writers’ workshop up in that Great State! It must be FATE! See
http://mainewriters.org/event/find-the-story-inside-the-story/ 
We made it!! One year anniversary today! Drinks for the house, on me!
Hooray for NotherYinzer and** Library1900**!
And congrats to Atomic Mama on the fellowship. Sounds very cool.
A year ago my wife weighed around 80 pounds and was being fed intravenously TPN (a fatty total nutrition IV fluid) through a PICC line (goes to your heart). After 4 months of this specialists couldn’t figure out why she was unable to keep food in her system. To make matters worse, her liver was having problems because of the TPN and they were going to have to take her off of it.
We didn’t know how long she would live at that rate.
For her March birthday I bought a piano improvisation course that she had wanted and I moved a good keyboard into the bedroom where she lay so she could practice. It made her happy, but she still was wasting away.
March/April was the turning point, when she finally began improving.
This year, her birthday marked a year of steadily improving health.
She is up to her normal weight, looking great, and eating relatively normally. I am so happy that I was able to shower her with new outfits that she wanted on her birthday.
Every day is a day of joy!
So, after just about two years of working, working and working a bit more on my app (link to the corresponding market thread), I got a break!
I entered my app into the AppLatina competition, sponsored by Intel and got selected for the second round.
Which means I get a cool new tablet and have to work a bit more on my app to be elegible for a prize of 5000 bucks of promotional material. 
That’s wonderful news. Wishing her continued good health and improvement.
Also wonderful news. I have sent you a PayPal link for a pub I frequent. 
Thank you!
These days she doesn’t need to play a keyboard in the bedroom: Happy wife!
Watching someone you love fade away over several months time is a humbling experience. It helps crystalize what is important and what isn’t. Every day of health is a gift.
I became a grandfather for the first time yesterday morning. Mom and new son and his Dad, my ManCub are all doing great. I’ve seen him on Skype but won’t get to hold him till late July.
I’m fairly giddy with joy over this!!!
Congratulations! How wonderful! 
In absolutely dire straights, I took a part-time temporary holiday job in a store. I started as a floorworker, only working as a cashier while needed. Later the manager told me to only work as a cashier. Though I didn’t know it at the time, that is extremely rare for a part-time temporary worker.
When it came time to let the holiday staff go, the manager told me “I don’t need another cashier, but I am not letting you go.” He fought for two weeks to get me hired part-time. Then the owner looked over my file, came into the store to talk to me and watch me work, and asked why I wasn’t full time. The manager said “We don’t need another full time cashier.” The owner said “Well, now she’s full time”
Two weeks later, a permanent full time worker left. I got her hours. From temporary part time holidday floorworker to permanent full time cashier in seven months.
Say what you will about me: I AM GOOD!
To become board certified in emergency medicine you have to take a written test which (assuming you pass) qualifies you to take an oral test. I took my oral boards last month. And I’ve been stressing about it since then since I kept thinking of stupid mistakes I’d made especially on the first few cases. I wasn’t sure if I’d completely screwed up those cases because I was so nervous or if it just felt like I screwed up because I was so nervous. I finally got my score yesterday and I passed!
I am now officially board certified in Emergency Medicine!
