Yes to all of the above, plus: new job!
Madison, WI is a growing Biotech hotspot in the US and a company that does contract SCIENCE! there was looking for someone who had some phat skillz in method development for capillary electrophoresis separations. I know a thing or two about the cap-E, so they offered me a whole lab to solve molecular mysteries with. They also said they'd like me to start ASAP if I could, so as soon as I got the go ahead from Dr. Girlfriend, ASAP it was.
To Wisconsin!
Welp, we're partially on our way in any case. After cleaning our apartment far more thoroughly than its ever been cleaned, we had to wait until 10:00am (when the main office opens) for the landlord to 'check us out' before we could leave. Being a red-blooded American male, I am genetically dispositioned to leave on long trips slightly before dawn, and drive well into the night, so being forced to burn perfectly good daylight to to wait for 'permission' to leave our apartment is not to my liking.
Nonetheless, we got as far as we could in the daylight we had, and checking the most current weather conditions we've decided to go with the north route through the US of A, and have stopped in Spokane, WA for the night. We'll tackle the Sasquatch-protected mountain passes in the mornin'.
Tomorrow we'll stop in Missoula mid-way to have lunch with the smallest of Smalleys, Beth, and then push on through the mountains to the great flatlands of Montana, Glendive or so, where from then on out we should make really good time. Which is really the overall goal: making good time. No real reason to make good time, we're not in a hurry or anything, but nevertheless...must. make. good. time!
