Love and Blogging

97 Comments / Personal

Peter Pan should have been a cosmologist. I mean, if you want to stay forever young, nothing puts things in perspective like contemplating our place in a fourteen-billion-year-old universe. You tend to take a long view of things.

But eventually, one must grow up and start acting like an adult. Did you realize, for example, that many grownups participate in an institution known as “marriage,” which apparently involves tying your entire future history (and let’s be clear about this — I fully expect to be immortal) to that of another person? Someone, obviously, who you better like an awful lot. And who better be able to put up with you. Trust me, you really don’t want to interact with me before I’ve had my coffee in the morning.

How in the world is one expected to find such a person, in a world full of interesting but flawed characters? Well, there’s always the blogosphere. Two kindred spirits, tapping away at their matching MacBook Pros, could find each other across thousands of miles in a way that was heretofore impossible.

All of which, in a fumbling and hopefully-charming way, is to say that it’s happened. I’ve fallen hopelessly for the beautiful and talented Jennifer Ouellette, science writer extraordinaire and proprietess of Cocktail Party Physics. I first plugged her blog (completely innocently! honestly!) back in March, and we met in person at an APS meeting, of all places. Best conference ever.

And, various cross-country jaunts and countless emails later, we’re engaged to be married. If it’s clear that you’ve found the perfect person with whom you want nothing more than to spend the rest of your life, you might was well get the presents, right?

Expressions of astonishment that I could have done so well by myself, and wonderings aloud concerning what in the world Jennifer must be thinking, may be left in the comment section. You needn’t tell me how fortunate I am — I know.

Related Posts:

97 Comments

97 thoughts on “Love and Blogging”

  9. ed hessler

    What is this thing called love? Who knows except for those who love, fall in love and follow where it leads. Thanks for telling us this good news and best wishes. Congratulations to both of you.

  11. Scott H.

    Many congrats, Sean! I must echo what Rob Knop said above, since my wife and I would never have gotten together if we didn’t have email during the first year — dating, but on opposite coasts. It’s a uniter, not a divider! (sorry…)

  12. Urbano

    First of all, congrats for you both!!!

    On Wednesday, after I’d finished my blogging duties at the Industrial Physics Forum in San Francisco, we drove to his new home in Los Angeles via the “scenic route” along the coast. […]he put his arms around me and whispered, “Wouldn’t it be fascinating to take a Fourier transform of those waves?”

    OK, the South is much better anyway: you could not do that in Chicago 😉

  14. citrine

    CONGRATULATIONS!!

    Sean, this is *really* strange, but I have to say something now. A few months ago, I followed a link on one of your blogs to Jennifer’s blog. I read a little of her writings, saw her photo, and a random thought popped into my head: this woman seems perfect for Sean. Of course you don’t know me, but please take my word when I say that I’m NOT one of those matchmaker types, acting as a catalyst for pair bonds. From time to time I have come across links from CV posts to Jennifer’s blog and this same thought kept popping into my head. Well, my gut instinct was right on the mark!!

  15. Lauren

    CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

    Jennifer may have stolen my secret blog crush, but no hard feelings. 😉

    We must have pictures of the wedding.

  16. JoAnne

    Congrats Sean! Jennifer is absolutely GREAT, but then, I’m not saying anything you don’t know.

    PS: Didn’t know that you actually bought that bag of plagues!

  18. jay

    Great news, Sean. Many congratulations!!!
    But still, “no time for blogging” will not be an excuse. 😉

  23. Aaron

    AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH CONGRATS! I hope whoever’s performing the service won’t be too put off when she sees the crowd packed with physicists tapping away on their laptops… 🙂

Comments are closed.

Scroll to Top