But my paternity leave has been more than fishing and bombing tests. Andriana and I have had a wonderful two weeks together, so much so that I went and added another week on. From our morning walks up to the apple orchards of nearby Brooksby Farm, evening drives to the ocean, and all of the feedings, changings, reading sessions, and crazy children's television in between ("Fruit salad... yummy yummy!"), it's gone by way too fast.

Going back to that awful library is going to be a shock, all right. Fortunately, however, it's not going to last, because last Friday not only did I wrap things up with my old alma mater but I also gave my two-week notice to the folks at the Medical School! Yes, it's true, folks - I actually went and did it. When I return from my leave, it will only be for ten measly days, after which I'll be free as a bird. I've gotten unofficial official word that the job over in Cambridge that I was waiting on is in fact coming through, so in the interest of not keeping my new bosses waiting for me to become available I went ahead and did the deed. Man, does it feel good. I thought I understood the depth of my hatred for my present employers, after all of the crap they've pulled over the past couple of months, but I was wrong.

So needless to say, there was a lot of catharsis going on last Friday.

And the universe appears to be pleased with my decision to toss down my chips and roll the dice (at least for now), as yesterday I scored a tutoring gig for the summer that will make the transition from the one job to other a lot less bumpy. I guess sometimes things do happen for a reason. If it weren't for the idiocy of my new supervisors, I wouldn't have considered taking a part-time day job; but opening up my daytime schedule is already paying off, and I haven't even left my old job yet!

On Monday night I visited the library to pick up my paycheck, since for various reasons I'm not a big fan of Direct Deposit (it's funny, tell someone that you don't have Direct Deposit and they look at you like a Southern Baptist looks at someone who says he isn't saved by Jesus H. Christ). The place is blissfully understaffed at night, so the only coworker I had to make small-talk with was the guy at Circulation, a real foaming-at-the-mouth crank who's currently in library school, God help his classmates. Circ Guy just likes to get his crank on, but inevitably if you let him rant for long enough he'll start talking about job security and how it's important to be flexible - especially with the new managers - because "we don't know how good we have it." So he was going on like that while I my car was double-parked outside the library, and all I kept thinking to myself is that this is why I had to leave. It's not enough to live in fear and be grateful for it, to boot. Life isn't about stability. It's about taking chances, making big changes, picking up and moving on before the thought of something new gives you a knot in your gut.

Listening to Circ Guy the other night made me aware of how close I had gotten to becoming just like him, and as I begged out of the conversation lest I be towed, I drove off into the picture-perfect sunset in progress not just feeling that I had made the right decision to leave, but knowing it.

Bring on the future...