Sorry 'Bout That

School has been sucking all my energy away... that, and PhD applications. Using up my remaining vigor to help a little with baby now and then, and I'm afraid blogging gets a big shrug and an "oh well." But, we've had some good pictures taken lately. Jackie's friend (since 5th grade) Jenny comes to visit us every year or so, and she's turned into quite the photographer over the last few years, even able to score a few professional gigs now and then. She brought up her equipment and made us do a photo shoot with the baby. Over a week, she was able to get quite a few good shots. Here are a few:

My absolute favorite, taken on the tram at the Botanical Garden in the Bronx.Did we mention his massive head dwarfs the rest of his body?We take the best naps.So, you gonna finish that burrito?
Brrr, it's cold... gimme a sweater.
That's enough for now. I ought to save some for later! You people are like a pack of ravenous dogs... I have to keep you at bay by throwing out scraps of meat now and then.

BTW, some of you were kind enough to ask how the GRE went. The answer is, it went both well and I don't know yet. My first test in August was pretty good, 95th percentile in Verbal, 42nd percentile in Math, and 73rd percentile in Analytical Writing. Not too bad, but in definite need of improvement for my purposes. A good first effort, after not very much prep. The second test, taken at the beginning of October, was quite a bit better, after more prep. 99th percentile in Verbal, 63rd percentile in Math. That's more like it. Note, I don't need a strong math score for studying theology. They don't care, as long as I don't get too low a combined score. But get this... I know I knocked the two essays out of the park. I mean, that's what I do... I'm a writer. Literary analysis is my name, argumentation is my game. They gave me a 54th percentile on my essays. I absolutely couldn't believe it. Absolutely, perfectly average. Which hardly gets it done when one is looking to impress. Looking at the examples of essays receiving that score level, they look like they're written by sophomore's in high school. How on earth I got a 4.5 out of 6.0 is beyond me. There's absolutely no way. How can I get a 99th percentile in Verbal (730/800) and a 54th in writing?

Fortunately, there is a review process. For the meager fee of $55, test takers can request a review of their essays, effectively re-submitting them for a new score. I'm expecting to hear back any day now on my new scores... If I don't get at least a 5.0 out of 6.0, I don't know what I'll do. I don't want to take the test again, because a) it'll look ridiculous to take the same test 3 times (scores are automatically submitted to the applicant's schools), b) I don't have the time or energy to prepare again, and c) it's getting awfully close to the due date for these PhD applications, and I dare not cut it too close. December 15th is the latest. And I'm ready to submit my applications by this weekend. It truly is crunch time. I'm just waiting for the new score to come in before I click "submit" on my online applications. What a nail-biter!

Thanks for all your support, and thanks for clamoring for news and pictures. It shows your love.

Thanks for reading!