FIRST PLAYOFF WIN IN 20 YEARS! And what an insane way to win it. Such a good game. Let’s go Commanders!!!!

Going to the first nfc championship in 33 years! What a time to be alive and what an incredible game last night! Let’s gooo!

My 7 year old: happy birthday dad! You’re the same age as Alexander the Great! Me: yeah! Do you think I’m as “great” as he is? 7YO: No! You haven’t even conquered anybody. 😑 I was hoping for something sweet, but I got burned instead. Someday I’ll be cool to him. Maybe😉

Just sent a draft of my final dissertation chapter to my advisor! Let’s hope he likes it. Now, while I wait, I’ll start putting all the chapters together and writing an introduction. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel!

Just finished Pentiment, a game set in 1500s Bavaria. Absolutely delightful. The writing was fantastic, the story and characters were engaging, and the medieval scripts and artwork were incredible. It’s short, but I loved every minute of it.

Today is a great day! I sent a draft of my entire dissertation to my advisor! Also, my committee is working on setting a defense date. I’m almost there!!

Schedule a date for the dissertation defense. Check (April 21!) Send the final draft of said dissertation to my committee. Check It’s happening!!!! What do I do between now and then? I have absolutely no idea.

Today’s the day! On this day, the 2,778th birthday of Rome, I will be defending my dissertation! Let’s hope it goes well!

Thrilled to announce that I passed my dissertation defense! I am so grateful to have had such a supportive advisor and committee. I can’t believe the end is here! #DrBaldwin

Said goodbye to Rome, Italy, and the American Academy yesterday. I never thought I would be fortunate enough to live abroad with my wife and kids and I am so grateful for all the experiences we got to share together in addition to the research I got to do. USA here we come!

Been in the states for less than two days and I’m back at the airport. I am off to California to present at the workshop “New Approaches to Lucan’s Bellum Civile.” Very excited to be a part of what looks to be a fantastic list of papers!

Preparing for my presentation at the beach. More conferences/workshops should be held near large bodies of water. It’s a beautiful morning to talk about Lucan and the end of the world.

Back at the airport, this time to go to Worcester, MA for the workshop “Taking Stock: Stereotypes from Asian America to the Ancient Mediterranean.” Really excited to talk about my co-authored chapter and meeting new people!

Just submitted the final draft of my dissertation to the university! My time as a graduate student is coming to an end and it is a very strange feeling, but I am excited for what lies ahead!!

Showing my kids around the BYU campus today! Also visiting some old department friends. A lot has changed since I left 6 years ago, but it’s fun to see familiar buildings and faces

Guess who’s back in Chapel Hill for a little bit? This guy! We are visiting a few of our favorite places before grabbing all of our stuff and moving to our next destination! It feels good to be back

Saying goodbye to my academic home was bittersweet. These last 6 years at UNC have been amazing and I’m sad to leave Chapel Hill. So long, Murphey Hall! I hope to see you again soon!

My family and I have moved and are settling in! For interested parties, I will be spending the year as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Cincinnati. I am really excited to be a part of such a large and historic department! It should be a fun year!

New year, new city, new university, same goofy face. Happy FDOC from Cincinnati! Professor Baldwin is ready!

Wowowowowow I just finished Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 and it easily ranks among the greatest games I have ever played. Incredible story, beautiful music, and very immersive and challenging combat. I can’t wait to see some of the postgame content! This game is. So. Good.