s'cool. the top tier academic life is not for the vast majority of sane folks, even if you do love your project down through the bones. in fact, i'm convinced that you have to be a kind of sociopath to really succeed in that world. ie be driven totally by ego, glory/nobel lust, or masochism. as jayne says, "when does that get fun?" i say nev-ahhhh!

i haven't gone the furry/cosplay route either, but i definitely wouldn't judge if someone were into that, you know? people are into all kinds of freaky stuff, but who's to say what's socially acceptable and what's not? so long as the kids are enjoying themselves, i say rock on wit' your bad-ass little furry selves.

it sounds like you have a good attitude, scruffy. if you are open to it, and if you put yourself out there, i'm confident that before too long some lovely little thing will be caught up in your arms, cuddling and snoodling you, and then you'll be like "damn, i wish i had more time to get my dork on at originaltrilogy.com with my bros or maybe read a comic once in a while" and she'll be like "take out the garbage, scruffy" and then it's all "let's have a baby or five" and then with the mortgage and the tuition and the car payments and the insurance, and before you know it you'll already be like 70. dang. if you can quote hamlet, you're already half-way there, smoove.