Is there a Doctor in the house?

Is there a doctor in the house? In mine, yes! :) Well ... almost. My hubby, Paul, has passed enough cumulative exams to get his doctorate. It's been an amazing (and amazingly grueling) two years, but he's halfway there. Crazy, huh?

The cumes serve as an indicator of knowledge and progress (and dedication to the program, in my humble opinion). Here's how they work: After a year to a year and a half in the doctorate program, students are given eight cumulative exams -- one each month for eight consecutive months. The exams cover journal articles that go way above my head (but are great to read at bedtime -- I'm out like a light before you can say "Developing Analytical Methods for On-Line Monitoring of Haloacetic Acid Concentrations in Drinking Water Distribution Systems" ... [insert yawn here].)

Anyway, the students take these eight tests, which are graded on a four-point scale -- 0 to 4. Four means you're the shiznit. Zero means ... well, I shouldn't really go there, because I might insult some of Paul's labmates. To get your master's, you must get six points in eight tests. To get your doctorate, you must get 12. Do the math, and you'll realize these are really hard exams, folks.

So, Paul, he gets his 12th point -- actually, his 13th point -- on his sixth exam. He doesn't even have to go to the last two. Is he a genius, or what? ^_^

Now, he gets back to his research for the Environmental Protection Agency, developing methods for finding haloacetic acids and trihalomethanes (read: REALLY BAD STUFF!!!11) in drinking water. By the way, on the topic of water, you guys might want to watch out for the bottled stuff. No, seriously.

Anyway, I wanted everybody to know how proud I am of my hubby. He's come a long way from the guy who skipped class to play Counterstrike and ended up failing a half-dozen classes. :-D I love you, sweetheart, and I know you're gonna go far ... assuming you quit reading this and get back to work, slacker.

(Hey, nothing like a little prodding from the wifey now and then to keep you on your toes, right?)