So, obviously I've been quite scarce for some time now, so I figured I'd let folks know what I was up to (in case anyone cares).

Here's what I've been up to during the past month or two:
1.) Researching, writing, and editing a paper about the Whirlpool Galaxy
2.) Writing and editing my thesis proposal, to present to those who will be on my thesis committee
3.) Putting together a talk for a conference at the Lowell Observatory
4.) Attending said conference at the Lowell Observatory
5.) Taking a short vacation after said conference to go see the Grand Canyon, visit Death Valley, and drive down the Extraterrestrial Highway near Tonopah, Nevada
6.) Putting together another talk for a conference in Sydney, Australia
7.) Completing some additional data reduction steps so I can present some preliminary results in our star formation study of the galaxy M101 at said conference in Sydney
8.) Putting together the presentation that will go along with the thesis proposal discussed in point 2, which I must present the week before Thanksgiving

Here's what I have left to do for this month and the month of November:
1.) Attend the conference in Sydney, Australia
2.) Spend some additional time in Australia after the conference, because how often am I going to get awarded a grant that covers the airfare to Australia, anyway?
3.) Finish up the presentation for my thesis proposal
4.) Give the presentation for my thesis proposal
5.) Finish up the draft of the Whirlpool Galaxy paper and send it to some folks I met at the Lowell conference for feedback
6.) Submit the Whirlpool Galaxy paper for publication after incorporating collaborator feedback

SO: point is, by sometime around Thanksgiving, I should be living a slightly less chaotic and brain-mashing life, in which case I may become slightly more active around here again.
That is all.