It's a...nice day to....START AGAIN!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen--Billy Idol.

That might have been a little contrived. But is there really a good way to get back into this after not blogging for almost 4 months? Maybe that's unfair. I didn't blog here for four months. For any of you who missed it and are interested, the blog from our month in Europe can be found here.

There are a host of reasons why I've been absent from this corner of cyberspace, but none of them are particularly blog-worthy. The most important development in all of it is that Jess and I are now living in Washington, DC. It's crazy really. I already have a host of tales to tell, but I'll try to spin them one yarn at a time in the coming days. The most important thing for now is that DC really is a place to, in the words of Mr. Idol, "start again."

Right before I started at the University of Minnesota, one of the orientation speakers told us, "This is one of the few times in your life where you can make a clean break from your past and truly become someone new." It was good advice that caused me to think about the person I was and the person I wanted to become. This week I've felt the gravity of that same opportunity pressing down on me. And, unlike freshman year of college, I'm going to take it seriously this time.

So...I've started exercising. It's been almost a week of running and lifting weights, and tonight was the first time that I felt genuinely energized by the experience. It actually felt good to exercise. I'm also hardwiring study habits and locations--getting into a schedule to ensure that I'm as productive as possible. It's a beautiful thing.

With any luck, I'll be smart and beautiful in a few weeks time.

I guess that's about all for now. I hope I can lure some of my past readers back to me. I promise to make blog writing one of my new areas of concentrated discipline. Should be exciting.