Welcome Back My Friends...

Yes, it's been nearly a year and a half since I last posted to this blog. Many people have abandoned this blog probably, and it's ok. I felt that I had some time on this holiday to bring some people up to speed with what's been going on, especially those I haven't seen in a while!

• I'm heading down this week to the Volunteer State, Tennessee, to look for a place to live. I'm moving down there because I was offered admission into the PhD program in Industrial and Information Engineering at the University of Tennessee, which is located in Knoxville. I'll be funded under a graduate research assistantship, although I may have some grading the first semester I'm there.
• Currently, I'm home preparing for my last teaching assignment at Virginia Tech. It's an online course, which I am looking forward to because online learning is a recent development that has my interest. I shall be learning the pros and cons of this teaching medium over the next few weeks, and I'll be glad to share my experiences with other fellow educators.
• If you weren't aware of it at this point, I got engaged last May to Annette Fidecaro, my college sweetheart. However, the wedding is in the mildly distant future because we do not currently live in the same state (she's working in DC) and I'd like to finish my studies at Tennessee before we start planning. Another bonus in waiting is that a close friend of mine will be receiving his Holy Orders shortly after I earn my PhD, and it would be awesome to have him preside over that special day.
• My AFI journey is still coming along. Last fall, I purchased an Xbox 360 and discovered the power of Netflix. That service has greatly assisted me in the AFI process. I will give an update sometime in the near future with my progress.

Alright, I'm getting somewhat tired with writing at the current moment because I want to get on my bike and enjoy this wonderful weather. Contact me when you have a chance; I'd love to hear what's new with you!