Ryan finished up his first week in the fourth grade and I completed my first week at the new job. I'm happy to report that Ryan and I have only good things to report so far.

Ryan spent his first week back catching up with friends he hadn't seen all summer. His teacher didn't waste any time handing out homework and much of the week was spent reviewing math operations. Ryan has enjoyed the silent reading sessions in class more than anything else.

I started my week filling out paperwork for my new job which I started on Wednesday. Most of my first day was spent in a marathon project meeting which was actually a comfortable way to learn about the people I'll be working with and the projects they're working on. Folks in the office gave me a warm welcome and I really feel good about my decision to leave the Lab.

I absolutely love my commute which is no more than 30 minutes round trip, down from the one hour and 35 minutes I've driven to Los Alamos for the past ten years. I'm able to drop Ryan off at school and be in the office by 8:00.

Owen starts back to school on Tuesday and I'll have a report on his first week back soon.