So you’ve probably noticed that I haven’t been posting much lately aside from the occasional Jakob pictures. (O.k. — maybe you didn’t notice. In fact, hopefully you’ve got better things to do than check to see if I’m writing on my blog.)

Life has gotten busy lately — I’m at Beacon every day, usually between five and seven hours — and I’m trying to spend as much time with Jakob and Kat before Kat and I become full-time working parents. Kat goes back to work next Thursday, and our nanny starts on Monday. There’s a blog entry to be written about the truly strange notion of interviewing someone to care for your child. Suffice to say that Kat and I are both going to really miss this time where we’ve been able to spend the vast majority of our waking hours with him.

And to that end, fatherhood is a blast. Jakob is — as Kat has deemed him — "extra delicious." He smiles a ton, and he seems to get more playful by the day. He’s getting more active, more interested in the world around him, more talkative and stronger. We’ve discovered the "jumper" toy which you put in a doorway and watch your baby bounce around. Too funny.

Politics: I’m having a hard time adding my voice to the mix lately. I’m generally frustrated by everything I’m seeing right now. The tenor of this race is growing dirtier and dirtier by the day. The anti-Kerry lies that are getting spread are offensive. And the press should be embarrassed that they are willing to present these lies as if they are news without investigating where these claims are coming from.

Education: I’m really excited about the coming year at Beacon. There are posts coming. I promise.