Having arrived back in Britain Monday evening, safely escaping the illnesses that afflicted all around me in Bangladesh (chickenpox in children, diarrhoea & vomiting in both my fellow travellers and half my Friends' family, jet lag/exhaustion in friend on my flight), I eventually faced my PhD viva on Friday morning. This was something which I was ( Read more... )

Last night

I guess I should be out partying tonight, but I don't much feel like it, and I have a million other more important things to do.  Today has been one in which I have had to wear my wounds open to the world. In general, I keep things light and superficial in here, and there's much in life to feel good about, so it seems self indulgent to ( Read more... )

Competitive Santa’s grottos going on down then end of my road.  Makes me larf.

I am tres busy, with important things to address. I’ve been backed into a corner a bit, but have to hope that it’ll work out. I may not be here much for a little while (and slap my wrists if I am).

Bad day. Starts with grey that turns to penetrating rain shortly after I start cycling to work.  Then damp girl gets dumped on big time.  I open an email to find the problems with examiners arranging dates for viva continue.  Yesterday, I was so happy as I thought they'd managed to get me a date in a couple of weeks.  Today I hear that the local ( Read more... )

"You must feel great"

"Not really; when I finally submitted I just wanted to cry."

"I guess that it must be a little like giving birth"

"No, there's no beautiful baby to show for it.  It feels more like eventually escaping from an unhealthy relationship that you've stayed in too long to ensure that you have something to show for it.  Once out, you ( Read more... )

It is done.
I offloaded on Tuesday.
I feel that I have lots to say.
But fear I have more to do, and that's so much more important.

God some people are just so fucking kind.  I applied for a job at the beginning of the week to work on a small but very interesting offshoot of a huge, pan-European cancer project.  Bad timing, as I needed be working on PhD, not c.v. and application forms, but it had to be done.  Today, I received a call from the guy in charge to say that I wouldn’ ( Read more... )

I am less afraid.  The 'good professor' changed one word; my chemistry, logic and phraseology are apparently fine.

Things are falling into place for social re-emergence in September.  My fears that many of my good party people had nested up during my prolonged quiescence hidden under my self made monster seem to be unfounded.  Yes, some are more ( Read more... )

Fong night was good: no surprise.

After wriggling into one of my favourite, groovy, frocks, I realise that I look more akin to an overstuffed sausage than the attractive and slightly funky woman that I wish to be.  I have acquired an unseemly lipid coating as a consequence of my current lifestyle.  Luckily, I have fall back item that diverts ( Read more... )

Having completed most of the scarily trivial corrections of my supervisor (my sentences are far too long and Germanic, apparently); I called in a favour from a lovely and incredibly clever Professor for whom I used to work, who will read a couple of sections for me to make sure my biochem is sufficiently solid.  I hate asking favours, but my ( Read more... )