Yes, we are back on the Vegan Bandwagon, full-stop. John had a bit of a health scare (which is unanticipated in a man of 38), and our research has shown us that the healthiest overall lifestyle for us at this time is one that is pretty much vegan.

I like the idea, I like the health benefits. And, I love the way I feel. However, what I'm not-so-much liking is the cooking and prep time involved in preparing vegan meals and snacks for two people seven days a week with very little assistance. And, from what I've found so far, there isn't that much "easy" vegan cooking to be had. J. has promised to pitch in, but he doesn't yet have the skills, the pace, or the mindset to be anything other than in the way. He doesn't quite get that cooking can be -- in regard to such things as cooking time -- an exact science.

Tonight, I am trying to vegan up a chicken Parmesan sandwich J. drooled over on a Zaxby's commercial. Stay tuned!

I'm looking forward to the holiday weekend, and we have MUCH reason to celebrate in our Anglo-American household: J.RECEIVED HIS U.S. WORK AUTHORIZATION YESTERDAY!!!

He starts his new gig as an Assistant Professor (sans "visiting") on Monday. This really means we can stop living in fear that "something' is going to go wrong with the process, and we can move on with our lives. Of course, it also means I must give up my fantasy of living in a cool London flat for a few years.

We've also learned that we've been fast-tracked for the green card process, so we can expect to receive notification of our interview date very soon.

Ta-DAH!

I just found out that someone I know from college makes about an 85-90 mile daily commute from her home to her job. She lives in Small Town, Wisconsin (where she and her husband have purchased a house, and where he's from), and she works in downtown Chicago. I don't know her well enough to ask her about it really, but I know she used to commute that distance and hated it, then she got a job nearby and hated it, and now she's commuting again. 160 miles as a round-trip daily commute seems kind of obscene to me, but it reminded me of a discussion J. and I have been having.

It can not be overstated how much I despise my current city (with no offense to its natives, some of you are lovely and wonderful). I also have a helluva time with the public transportation system (or lack thereof) and I have been much limited in my career options.

J. and I have been spending more and more time in Atlanta, and he is enjoying it more and more. One of the last times we were there, he broached the subject of us moving there. In this deal, I would live there full-time, and he would commute the 2.5 hours from and to on Mondays and Fridays (and on Thursdays, often, instead of Fridays). At first I declined the idea flat-out: we've done our time in a long distance relationship, and I've had much bad luck in the past with thinking long-distance was a workable situation and having it be the death knell of the relationship.

But, the more I think about it, the more I think it just might work, especially for a fixed amount of time (like 2 years, which would be from next summer until his contract is up here). Would I miss him? Of course! But, could I have a much better career and life in Atlanta? Definitely! Not only would my career and transportation options be better, but I still have a handful of great friends there, and the literary archive I need to excavate to get my scholarly life back on track is there, too. Also, as J. has seen in our visits, our cultural, shopping (Hello, Trader Joe's!), and entertainment options would be amazingly better. And, believe it or not, it wouldn't be so damn hot, either. Having lived there for about three years, I can vouch for the weather being better! And, of course, with all the traveling he does, it would be much easier for him to go in and out of ATL, without the obnoxious drive or risky commuter flight on either end.

None of J's immediate colleagues make that commute, but he knows of several people within his university who do it.

So, what are the drawback? We'd hate to live apart, and I'm sure doing so would cause issues we'd have to deal with. I don;t mean to downplay that, but I also know that i am not fully myself here (meaning, I am often miserable), and elevating my mood and outlook will only help our relationship. And, it would be more expensive, though Montgomery is wicked cheap, and J. could get a small apartment for under $1000/month. He says the driving wouldn't bother him in exchange for the quality of life improvement he'd receive. We know I'd need to make double what I'm making now, but I've done more than that in Chicago -- both in the recent and distant past -- so it's a possibility (though not a guarantee in this economy).

So, we're thinking about it. But I'm probably going to raise the discussion from the hypothetical to the possibly-planning phase.

I'm getting itchy again.

It's a little depressing to be severely underemployed. I do know that in this economy I am in very good company, which provides some comfort.

However, mostly, I am seriously bored at work. So I've made it my mission to bring my employer into the 21st century technologically. I may seem short on ambition since I'm not trying to bring them all the way up to date. But since we're currently in the technological realm of 15-20 years ago, I am taking small steps. But, in my moments of boredom (when I am not blogging or reading blogs or buying shoes from Zappos.com) I try to come up with ways that we can use technology to our advantage. We waste SO MUCH PAPER and SO MUCH POSTAGE and SO MUCH TIME doing things the old fashioned way here at my Major Public University that it is obscene. Thus, at every opportunity, I turn the completing and mailing out and checking of cumbersome forms into a paperless endeavour.

You'd think my colleagues would find efficiency marvelous, right? But they do not.

With the exception (thank god for her) of the person in charge of my division, the rest of my colleagues are kicking and screaming and fighting it every step of the way. This is especially ironic since this university (and all others in the state) is in way-serious economic trouble, and our budgets have been slashed almost 40% in the last three years, and we'll never, ever get pay raises again. Or something. But it's bad, and I am saving the division TONS OF MONEY. It DOES mean they're going to have to stop whining about reading PDF documents and stop wringing their hands about not having stacks of useless paper folders cluttering their offices.

The other irony is, well -- have you tried mailing anything to a college student recently?

They don't read paper documents -- I'm a little afraid they don't even read email these days. I'm thinking we should post their graduation worksheets to their Facebook profiles if we want them to look at them!! I digress ... but sending them lots and lots of mailings to their alleged (and usually inaccurate) current address is a waste ot time and paper.

I am undaunted by resistance! My mission to go paperless will continue!