Well, I had an idea yesterday that I think might bring me out of my depression. I've actually got a pretty workable plan for submitting a paper proposal to the SCA. I'm not sure if the paper will get accepted, but I think it's a sound topic, and I have two weeks to write a 500-word abstract (of a paper I haven't even written yet!). I did a lot of research today, just superficial, but covered a lot of areas, and I think I can come up with a good thesis and outline. So, that will hopefully give me something new to put on my CV so I don't have to be ashamed of the fact that I haven't done anything useful since dropping out of grad school. I'm trying not to think big, but if it gets accepted for the SCA conference, I don't see why I can't refocus it and submit a new proposal for the SAH annual meeting. I am an adjunct faculty member, after all. At a tech school, but still....