So Christian has been working hard lately. Really hard. You can see him here during thesis preparation time a week or two ago, and, well, did I mention he’d been working really hard? He didn’t exactly want to be messed with. Wives taking pictures were particularly discouraged.

Friday was his defense, which went beautifully. Except for some minor (and quickly-corrected) typos, no further revisions were required. I have the pleasure of informing you all that the newly-minted Dr. Grothoff is now currently lounging in the hotel room with a much happier look on his face. And, of course, a computer in his lap.

Yes, here he is now, today, at his leisure, squinting into the sun at a rest stop in the middle of nowhere:

Hey, squinting he may be, but he’s relaxed, and that’s important. He put everything on the truck by himself, with minimal help from me, and we got out of town on time with no trouble thanks to his excellent 3-D Tetris (read: truck-packing) skills. I’m still impressed – defend Friday morning, deposit Friday afternoon (ok, there was a glitch, but it’s still in process), pack Friday night, load entire truck Saturday morning, and start the move Saturday afternoon, all while keeping his beloved wife’s head from popping off during the process.

Although, as you can see, that last bit could still happen at any time (I hate driving…):

Fortunately, there’s only one day left of driving, and then we’re in our new home. And for the record (this is not a celebrity endorsement), this Penske truck we’re driving rocks. It’s in great shape, runs even better than advertised, and has not yet caused me to inadvertently drive into a ditch, run over pedestrians, or burst into flame.

Yet.