So I'm a pretty rare diary writer here on Daily Kos. Most of my diaries haven't been about politics, after all; I'm much more of a science and nature writer, and we already have a superb scienceblogger in DarkSyde, and several very good diary writers handling the nature side of things. I've occasionally blogged about my experiences as a STEM Ph.D. in long-term unemployment.
Originally, this diary was going to be about the end of my unemployment, a triumphant return, the Test Tube Phoenix finally reborn. Instead, it's about setbacks, and perhaps a bit about the nature of hope. If you can tolerate something of a rant, a bit of snark and maybe a few nuggets of wisdom, follow me below the orange puff of smoke (Yay! A witticism someone else hasn't already used!) below.