It's not you, it's me

[JIM]

(also posted on the Blog)

I’ve been putting this particular post off for almost a month, because I don’t really want to have to say it out loud, so to speak. But, deadlines are looming, so here goes.

In 2005, I am going to be finishing my PhD thesis. It’s been the plan for a while, but of course, 2005 actually being here, the plan has become firmer. I knew it would be this year for certain last month, when my advisor let me know that paying me a full salary to just do research, no teaching, wouldn’t be possible for him in 2006. And now other opportunities for the future have arisen, which necessitate my finishing up well before the end of the year.

The plan is now to finish off and submit the thesis by the end of May, the end of August being the if-everything-goes-wrong final deadline. After that, I won’t be in Ottawa anymore, I’m not sure where I’ll end up, but there’s a sizeable finite chance it won’t be in Canada. (Science is like that, it’s both kinda cool and kinda scary.)

It’s going to be a lot of work to finish everything by May 31st, but I’m pretty sure I can do it. And I totally want to do it, because this whole master plan of becoming “Jim Evans, world-renowned theoretical physicist” is finally coming together. Once again, cool/scary in about equal parts.

By this time, those of you who’ve seen the category for this post are getting a sinking feeling. Or maybe not, that this is coming has probably been obvious to everyone else long before it was to me.

“The Files of Hydrogen Guy” will have to go on an indefinate hiatus. It’s been a long time since I posted an episode anyway, and even longer since I was posting episodes regularly, so nothing’s going to change all that much. Unfortunately. But I figured I should make it official. It’s not fair to my reader(s), or myself, to not do so.

I am not ending “The Files", or taking them off the web, or anything ridiculous like that. I’m not going to promise a definite date for them to resume, either, because I don’t have that information. What I can say is that, when they come back, it will be in a slightly different format than they’re in now, we’ll (royal we, of course) be referring to them as “Series 2″, and I won’t be finishing “Galerkin’s Eleven” right away.

See, I’m still thinking about them, even if I don’t have time to write postable episodes every two weeks. That’s a good sign. Hydrogen Guy is far too much a part of my life to just stop doing it all together.

I’m not sure what else to add. Thanks to everybody who’s ever read TFoHG, emailed me, or the Cosmic Pie forgive, interviewed me about them. Particularly thanks to you bizarre people here on the Forum, for telling me how much I suck. I treasure that always. I’ll still be keeping the Blog) going, of course, so Hydrogenesque material and characters will continue to pop up there. Watch this space for progress reports both on my thesis, TFoHG2 and this whole nebulous “JIM’s Future” thing.

Um… excelsior?
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Unitedheroes.net - We're not lazy, we're... um... productivity-challenged.

[JIM]

Oh, I should also add that the Forum probably won't go away, either. Unless TA is miffed or wants his bandwidth for something else?
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Unitedheroes.net - We're not lazy, we're... um... productivity-challenged.

[Narratio]

I quit all the acedemia after the powers that be mailed me my bachelors and told never to darken thier halls, and leave the Van Der Graf generator on the way out... Good to see somebody trying to go further instead of chasing money. I think Bear and Pournelle started out like this so you're in good company.


<Holds up hand; "Hi, my name is Dave and I'm an engineering lady of the evening.">
<"Hi Dave! Here's lots of money, go build us stuff!">
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Age and cunning will always beat youth and talent.

[Hetta]

Yeah for thesis, boo for no HG updates.

I think it's time for you to invent an instaclone machine. Send one to me, too, kay?
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Henriette's herbal medicine pages

[Deuterium Boy]

Wow,

I haven't logged into the forum in many months and when I do it's to catch the salutations email. I think it's wrong on many levels, keeping up with your life here. The christmas card was great (and a spectacular rendition of Jim's drawing abilities) but the, I'M GOING TO GRADUATE message didn't really come through. Congradulations, good luck and here's hoping you land back in Vancouver (to appease me, I could care less who pays you what your worth).

David
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Deuterium Boy
"Just because you're not paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you."

[bobthegoat]

I, too, am going to be hiatusing my web serial, the Ongoing Saga of Onion Man and Chive Lad, while I return to academia. Sometime in 2007. If I get around to writing any of it before then. But the drawings of them are cool. Okay, more like doodl-- AHHH! my arm! --okay, okay, a tracing of the onion I did back in kindergarten, geez.

Truely, though, HG and DB will be missed. (It's the onions, really)

But at least you get have Fun with Radioactivity(R) and the expansion pack Spectroscopy-and-You(R).
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Bob the Goat: All the goat with none of the Malevolence

[Narratio]

I hear that each new PhD gets an autographed picture of Feynman, a months supply of radium and a free 1 day pass to Disneyland and all the rides!
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Age and cunning will always beat youth and talent.

[Streudel]

I'd say you suck, but I can't even form the words, what with my lower lip all stuck out and quivering. *sniffle*

Best of luck in all of your future endeavours. Since this isn't actually 'goodbye', I'll just say so long, and thanks for all the lobster!

[steveo]

Hmm. I have to admit the future of uH looks mighty grim.

I guess now's as good a time as any to thank TA for his continued work with Wafflehouse. At least he's doing something occassionally to keep our atten- ooh! shiney thing!
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Shihan of Martial Arts Sandwich Making and author of Christopher Ford, Amateur Paranormalist

[JIM]

Well, call me a goofball optimist, but it isn't the death-knell of uH just yet. It is neither "good bye" nor "so long" by a long shot; crappy TV series and webcomics aside, "hiatus" in this case doesn't mean "vanishing into oblivion".

h-e-double-hockeysticks, I was writing TFoHG for eight years before it ever appeared on the web. As soon as I finish my thesis and settle into whatever exotic foreign locale/armpit of the Universe I end up doing my post-doctoral in, I fully intend to get right back at it with renewed vigour. Buck up, comrade Streudel; have courage, bobthegoat!

And DB, you are a waffle.
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Unitedheroes.net - We're not lazy, we're... um... productivity-challenged.

[Deuterium Boy]

How did I acheive waffle status?
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Deuterium Boy
"Just because you're not paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you."

[JIM]

It just sounded like the right thing to say!
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Unitedheroes.net - We're not lazy, we're... um... productivity-challenged.

[TechnoAtheist]

But I didn't think that Canadians could run for office in the States.

Actually, now I'm wondering what breakfast pastry the current branch of the government will label future opponents.

<i>Isn't it obvious that Candiate X is merely a Toast-r-Strudel?</i>
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The Grayhound Chronicles
"TGC is less like a web serial and more like the Al Azif in bite-size form."
--~Steve-o

[Narratio]

Earlier today Mr. X in a press conference stated that his opponent, Mr. Y, had the moral values of a Raspberry Pop-Tart. Mr. Y rebutted that Mr. X had the personal integrity of a stale croissant and the sensativity of a McMuffin. The wild card contender, Mr. Z later said that he thought both Mr.X and Mr. Y were like pancakes lacking in maple syrup and that he expected to toast both of his white bread opponents at the hustings
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Age and cunning will always beat youth and talent.