Small victories

[drcuriosity]

In the last 48 hours, I've accomplished a few things that have been weighing heavily on me. The full report for my summer research work is in its (hopefully) final form, and with full appendices is starting to resemble a small book is size. Still no pay for the last three months' work, but when it does arrive it will be quite a suitable amount, even if it didn't arrive in time to justify going to the Nine Inch Nails and Iron Maiden concerts, or buying new spectacles just yet. Definitely looking forward to less eye strain and improving my reading endurance.

I've had some blood tests done to make sure I'm taking care of my health enough. It took the nurse a good ten seconds or so to find a vein with the syringe tip, but I'm putting that down to low blood pressure from fasting and first-day-of-term enfrazzlement. I've put on a little bit of weight, but that's due to doing more exercise so it's the positive kind. I also feel like, on average at least, I have more energy. Oh, and the nurse gave me a specimen jar full of jellybeans :-)

Academically, I've been cranking the wheels of bureaucracy some more. The PhD application's gone through my potential supervisor, head of department and on to the person in charge of postgraduate research in the department, and they all seem happy with both my area of inquiry and that I'm wanting to do something that counts as Real Science rather than what the department would consider to be applied fluff. (Physicists and Mathematicians may commence scoffing now, if you so desire.) I also talked to someone else in the department today who's interested in my research area and happy to co-supervise, and may even have some related paid work for me at some point.

I haven't seen friends enough recently, though I did visit bigby_wolf just in time to help him move a little stuff to his new flat the other day. With the term starting up at university I'm hoping I'll have more occasions to be social, though, and balance my life out a little better. I've been carrying around too much residual stress.

Finally things are coming together. I'm feeling like a bunch of the crunch time I put in catching up from illness over the Christmas period is starting to pay off. While I'm going to be trying to keep the momentum going into my research, it's kind of odd to think I might be able to relax a bit once the PhD formally starts.

Lastly, my lovely and beautiful lady got a new car to replace the one that was about to explode, and got a great mark in her criminal justice test the other night. So I'm glad at least a few things are going her way, too.

Comments

[graeco-celt.livejournal.com]

I'm so happy to hear that things are moving along as they should (for both of you).

I know how it can wear one down when any one of the things mentioned above goes off track, let alone all of them.

*hug*

Real Science

[mpj17.livejournal.com]

…they all seem happy with both my area of inquiry and that I'm wanting to do something that counts as Real Science rather than what the department would consider to be applied fluff.

Doing Real Science is a good thing, especially as Computer Science tends to be sensitive about such things at the best of times.

:D

[angryangeltoo.livejournal.com]

Brilliant, glad things are ticking along nicely after that tough time at the end of last year :D

[cheesecat.livejournal.com]

hay

[drcuriosity]

Horses eat that, I hear.