Well, this next year brings wonderful(?) new things for me. I just got approved for a research grant which greatly frees up my time. I love teaching, but always feel like I'm in a "rut" teaching, basically, the same classes over and over again. As of the end of this semester, I have at least one year, with a possibility of an additional year, dedicated to working with grad and post-grad students. With the wonderful advent of the interwebs, this means I only have to walk through the faculty area every now and again, make "important" events and fundraisers, and generally make my peers green with envy. Everyone else I can do the web-cam thing with.
The wife and I are considering a couple areas for deeper preparedness study, as well:
First off, we're evaluating a couple of paramedic courses to get certified. At the very least, we want to obtain our Wilderness Medical certification. There's a 2-week course (on-site supplemented with private study) held up in Wyoming that sounds very promising.
Second, I want to expand my knowledge on antenna-theory for alternate comms.
We both want to re-attend courses at Thunder Ranch, specifically the Home and Vehicle Defense with Trauma Block and Defensive Team Tactics. We haven't been able to attend much in the way of shooting training for about 3 years, and it shows. It also helps not only build confidence in your skillset, but in the weapons, as well.
Third, I'm going to be looking into more primitive skills, specifically edible, naturally-found plants in the Rocky Mountain areas. I haven't looked into it, but I believe that Mel DeWeese still has a school over in Grand Junction, CO that teaches this particular curriculum.
There are several other areas, but I haven't nailed anything specific down. With my recent knee surgery, I'm going to be spending a lot of time doing some advanced rehab. I'm aiming to do some of those "Tough Mudders" or the other "adventure-type" racing events. But, I have about 40 lbs to lose. I lift weights, but the repeated pounding on my knees from running made it almost impossible for me to do anything like distance running, pre-surgery. I still dislike running, but wouldn't mind it so much if I'm running from zombies.
The Professor
