Hurrah!
This almost makes it all worthwhile! ;)
So, FINALLY after almost 5 years of blood, sweat, snot and other bodily fluids, we get to graduation (for the 2nd time). And we got to wear swanky red robes instead of black ones.
Alas the rain meant there was no chance for outside photos, but I have a couple here anyway: this one to prove I was actually there, and this one of Dr Harwood and I looking thoroughly academic! Hahahahahaha!
Also, best quote of the day from one of my ex-students (who was also graduating): "Jo, what are you doing here?". I would have thought the cap and gown were a it of a giveaway there...
All your PhD are belong to us.
What you say?
You are on the way to graduation. You have little chance to order your gown make your time!
So, erm, yes. It would appear that my corrections have been accepted by my examiners and I've now technically done everything I need to to graduate. Hurrah! I found out on Friday but was too busy having fun at the beach party to remember to tell everyone. (By the way, big salutes go my cheerleading stunt group posse mass-ive. I'm hoping there'll be some good photos :))
Wow, I've been so rubbish in the blog. There are 2 reasons for this:
1) I was super busy and or stressed with my thesis corrections, which have now been completed (and I'm awaiting the verdict)
2) I didn't have anything to write about other than my thesis corrections which in itself was more mind-blowingly horrid than anything I could possibly describe.
Still, I am here now, still with not much to say. Except that I've been having fun at work and last week got to go out on my first imaging job alone. It happened to be in Milan, which was almost fun (weather was terrible and due to missing an early flight I was sat in the airport lounge for far too long, ended up being awake for 20 hours), and I have updated my work map accordingly.
In other news, I'm gearing up for my massive post-PhD holiday to Peru, the amazon jungle, Ecuador and the Galapogas Islands. I'm having my last jab this Wednesday - the final rabies one, and I'm slowly getting all my kit organised. I've wanted to go to Peru since the 1st year of my undergrad degree, when I studied Incan Astronomy. Very excited, but scared of getting eaten by a snake. Or murdered. Or even worse, murdered by a snake.
Anyway, nothing else to report for now. Except that Oblivion on the Xbox360 is fantastic, especially if you dream of being a giant blue cat that likes hiding in bushes a lot.
Wow, two blog entries in one week, I must have been 'busy'.
Thursday and Friday I went up to Swansea to discuss my corrections with Chen. I feel much better for having been, even though the trains were an absolute nightmare (getting home took 6 hours, door to door).
Thursday evening went out for Japanese with Jase, Dave, TR and Sits. From the man who invented the immortal words: "chomp chomp chomp more speedy boots for me", came these pearls of wisdom:
"Fish. Mouth. Impressive."
"How's the wasabi derby going?"
"Enough of this sake malarky!"
Mister Wheeler, we salute you!
Take one party, one almost doctor, 3 pinatas, some glow sticks and a sombrero, blindfold and sword and what do you get?
A giant pile of tissue paper and squashed chocolate, lots of spilled booze and a glow stick garter.
In short, carnage.
Oh, will everyone just stop talking about having a viva and have a viva?
:)
4 1/2 hours, quite exhausting, but the outcome is only minor corrections so I'm happy. In 12 weeks I'll officially be Dr Jo. MWAHAHAHAHAHA!
Will everybody just stop talking about submitting a thesis, and submit a thesis?
Ok then. If you insist.
...which old pen?
The red one.
Strange coincidence or cosmic destiny? Or simply mysterious and cryptic goings on? Who can say?
Actually I can. All I meant was that my red pen had literally run out. You n00bs.
I am up early today (even for me) trying to squeeze a few extra hours from the day. I think I managed to fall asleep before 2am last night for the first time in 10 days, which was nice.
What wasn't so nice is that it was probably due to the panic attack I had earlier in the evening. It took me a couple of hours to calm myself down and stop having the attack, by which time I figured that trying to work was useless. Hence the early morning today.
This is officially not fun(TM).
I suppose at this time of year most people are all full of festive cheer and booze, thinking retrospectively about the year passed and making plans for the one that lies ahead.
Well, sod that. So many people I know dread Christmas and the New Year for a variety of different reasons. Sometimes I hate the enforced merriment of the holidays not because I'm a scrooge but because I don't feel I can join in. The people who know me will have a rough idea what I'm talking about, and those who don't will probably know from their own experience. But I digress. I just wanted to put a small note here for everyone else who has felt the same at one point or another in their lives.
A large portion of the Christmas break was dedicated to correcting my thesis. Sometimes it feels like 2 steps forward, 5 steps back. But they're steps nevertheless... After completing one particularly tricky passage I was rather proud of my red-pen handiwork and thought it should be shared with the world, here. Note how I found my green pen and tried to make it a bit more festive. Ho ho ho!
Anyway, back to it. Hope you all make it through the night in one piece.
Ok, so I've had a very busy week in the land of the technological dark ages (otherwise known as taking residence back here at Jo's Parent Towers). I thought I should write a blog entry today as it is technically, the end of an era. Yes, today I submit my thesis. It's got a front cover and everything. I would almost be proud if I thought it was completely ready. I'm just uploading all 10 megs of it so Will can start printing it out. I think I'm going to take a couple of days off from proof reading and spell checking though as a treat.
I wouldn't recommend leaving Swansea to anyone, my final drive home took me over 8 hours (it normally takes me 4), I got stuck on every motorway, the M4,3,25 and 23. It was rubbish! Still, I guess it's my fault for leaving on students-go-to-university day. There are now boxes everywhere in my parents house. I think they should get somewhere bigger ;)
Last night I was up in London having a few celebratory drinks with my new department at work. (I think it was quite clever of me to swing an office party over a week before I actually start.) There were loads of people there and I have no idea how I'm going to remember all their names, but I am looking forward to starting work very much. Even the earlyish morning starts. Probably. Having read the acceptable use of computers policy, it would appear that blogging is strictly forboden, but I think so long as I don't mention who I work for, what clients I'm working with or anything else remotely idetifiable then it's allowed. Maybe. Still, yes, fantastic night, got a little boozed (all blaming fingers point towards my soon-to-be boss), missed one train and then fell asleep for most of the next one. Still, I think I am very much going to enjoy the job, especially if that kind of letting-hair-down event is as mandatory and frequent as has been suggested :)
And whilst I was up in London, I went to view a flat in the Crouch End area. For some reason the lettings agent got my budget wrong, so the palce he showed me was far too small, and less money than I was expecting to pay. Even for a studio it was small. He also showed me a one bedroom in the same block (as they're being rennovated, to give me an idea of how it would look when finished) and that place was fantastic, still under budget and just the right size. Alas someone else had already taken it last week. Still, it's good to know that I shouldn't have to sleep in a dustbin, so I'm looking forward to spending a few days there next week hunting in earnest.
Anyways, must... submit.. thesis...
So, final day in uni today. Almost 7 years to the date that I first arrived on campus. Long time. End of an era. I guess I could be more reflective on my academic career at Swansea if I wasn't so stressed about finishing my thesis before next Friday. But needless to say, much has happened, much has changed and once again my future opens up before me like a mysterious origami model.
Anyway, no time for any of that rose-tinted rubbish now. Today has been spent typing up mathematical equations for inclusion into my thesis, with the help of the everso mathematically minded Mister Harwood. (He's actually being very helpful to lots of thesis writing people atm, whether this is just because he's avoiding wriiting his own thesis or he wants putting the the acknowledgements is one of the great remaining mysteries of the modern world) Anyways, we invented some equations that mathematically specify my code, and then I tried (with help) to put them into LaTeX. (I'm not sure if that's how you write it, but looks good anyway) Of course, this being me, it hasn't quite all worked right and part of resulting stupidity can be seen here. Hahahahahahahha! I did wonky maths!
Anyway, back to Sussex this weekend. One or two parties to suffer and final boxes to pack in the mean time.
Wow, Swansea's about to become a much quieter place...
My head has just hit a brick wall, please excuse the typos and lack of coherence.
I managed to move most of my stuff back to my parent's house this weekend with the help of Andy and a large white van. So now I'm sleeping on Bash and Andy's sofa for a week, and very comfortable it is too, but for the last few nights their cats have gotten the midnight (and also 3am) crazies and started prancing around the place whilst I'm trying to sleep. Add on to this the fact that I've been working since early this morning and have consumed over 6 caffinated beverages (that's a lot for someone who normally doesn't have any) plus any artificially coloured, sugar filled or otherwise unhealthy substance I can get my grubby mitts on but my eyes are still beginning to close, and you might have an idea of how I'm feeling.
Anyway, that was probably a digression. Eleven days left until I have to submit my thesis, and I'm still programming. Oh, if I could get this final piece of prolog to work then surely it'd be the perfect icing on the bittersweet cake of thesis. (Cake or death? Hmmmn.) If I were less of a perfectionist then I could probably stop now, but I can't help but push just a tiny bit further - I'm told this is a common problem for many PhD students. I think I'd rather finish off all the writing (corrections and all, had a long but good meeting with Chen today) next week when I'll have my mother taking care of my environment and I don't have to worry about much.
And finally, I got my contract through for my new job at the weekend. I've since been reading up on all the neccessary things, filling in forms and sending them off. It would probably be exciting if a) I understood all the words and b) the acceptable use policy for computers wasn't quite so restrictive. Oooh, I did get to choose my laptop and bag, that was quite fun. But anyway, I either need to find a quiet corner to lay down and have 40 winks or see if I can squeeze out just a tiny bit more code...