Once More Unto the Breach

So, now that I've been here a month, it's time to start thinking about leaving. I took steps in that direction today by starting my applications for a PhD program. It does seem very odd to be thinking about these things after having just started here, but the first applications are due a bit more than a month from now, so it's high time to get the doctoral ball rolling...again. My goal? To go somewhere where I can study macroevolution and extinction, especially within the Triassic Period. For those of you that are interested, here's my list in no particular order:

Washington: Not only would I get to return home to the Northwest, but working with Peter Ward would put me pretty squarely on the cutting edge of extinction studies. Exciting stuff.
Oregon: Also in the Northwest and also good for extinction studies. Greg Retallack's work centers primarily on studies of prehistoric soil, but it sounds like there might be a place for a vertebrate guy such as myself.
Berkeley: Because we all need to have unattainable ideals in our lives.
San Diego State: Bet you didn't see that one coming! Actually, they have some decent macroevolution/extinction work going on, and San Diego would be better than nothing. I hear they have a nice zoo, too...
New Mexico: Few better places in the world for access to Triassic fossils, but the focus of the program is increasingly geological, which is of little interest to a macroevolutionist.
Bristol: There would certainly be worse fates than staying in Britain. Getting to work with Mike Benton some more would be fun, and one of the projects on offer reads like an exact description of what I want to do career-wise. I will at least have to consider it.

There's a few 'maybes' still out there: Colorado, Calgary, Northern Illinois (but Midwest winters...ugh). I can't realistically expect to know anything for several months yet, but I have to admit that no matter how many times I do this, it's still exciting in a weird way.
Of course, the excitement of deciding one's future pales in comparison to that greatest of thrills, refried beans. I believe that I've ranted before about not being able to get decent Mexican food in England. Well, now I don't have to rely on the few dodgy restaurants in town: Sainsbury's has started selling refried beans (and really good ones, at that), meaning that I can now just make my own burritos/tacos/fajitas, which is exactly what I did for dinner tonight. It was the best meal I've had in a long time.
Finally, I didn't realize that not everyone knew the "How do you spell Canada?" joke. Well, to ensure that the whole world (or at least my reading audience) is enlightened, the answer is "C, eh. N, eh. D, eh." Humor at its finest, eh?