T minus 48 Hours

I am terribly sorry if you are a music lover who was hoping that this blog was about cool bands and snazzy venues in our beloved Durham.  This blog may cover many topics in the upcoming year, but music in Durham is not one of them.

More likely you are here because you plan to stalk follow along with our family as we embark on our sabbatical adventure. The adventure has yet to begin, but I feel compelled to publish a post before we actually leave.  I am hoping this increases the odds that I will follow through with regular postings once we have officially launched.

I do not fancy myself a writer.  Most of the writing genes in my family had already been divvied up by the time I arrived.  While prose may not be my strength, list-making is a way of life for me.  So, what better way to start my public writing life than with a list of sorts?  Here we go!

What's up with the name of your blog?
We make our home in Durham, NC, also known as the Bull City.  The name derives from Bull Durham tobacco, and the bull has become our city's mascot.  JAMZ is simply the acronym you get from our first names.

Why are you leaving the awesomeness that is Durham?
Fair question.  As a professor, John gets a sabbatical leave every 7 years, so we get to go somewhere else and experience life at a different pace than usual.  The best part is that we get to come back home.

Where are you going?
We will spend the fall semester (roughly 4 1/2 months) in Okinawa, Japan.  John will be working at the Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology (OIST). Then in January, we head to Albuquerque, NM for 6 months where John will work for Sandia Labs.  I will be eating bon-bons.

Are you excited to eat sushi?
No.

I heard you are going to homeschool Maddox in Japan.  Is this true?
Yes. Third grade, here we come!

What about Zoe?
Zoe will attend preschool at OIST, and should graduate with her PhD by December.

Can you go skiing in Okinawa?
No. The 1998 Winter Olympics were in Nagano which is far north of where we will be.  Okinawa has the latitude of south Florida.

Is there any chance you have a high school classmate currently living in Okinawa?
Why, yes, I do! I am sure my reunion with her will merit its own post.  The last time I saw her I had a perm.

That's all for my inaugural post.  There is laundry to be done, suitcases to pack, and opened bottles of wine to be finished. Until next time...