come on boy, don't be such a baby

Post PhD = emptiness, misanthropy, nihilism and gloom.

It really is like a major break up.

Moreover, I'm earning proper money for the first time in my life but I don't care. I could buy a decent bike, but don't care about cycling; I could buy new lenses, but don't care about photography; I could write an article and get it published, but don't care about history. I'm not even two dimensional anymore...

5 years, stuck on my eyes

Words you want to hear when you begin your viva examination:

"Ed, you've got nothing to worry about, we want to discuss how to best get this thesis published."

After 90 minutes of discussion, I was told my thesis is of doctoral standard: the examiners just want me to rewrite the conclusion because they say I sold myself short and should be more forceful in saying what I think! They said what I have to say is genuinely important!

What an amazing day. A very bizarre end to a very bizarre 5 years of work and life though. Thanks to everybody who supported me.

waaaaaaaaaaagh!

For the first time in 2 years, I wish I still lived in London! Well done England!

Excitement.

(a) On Friday, I was offered (and accepted) a proper job.

(b) Today, I acquired tickets for the last day of the Edgbaston Ashes test (i.e. tomorrow) ... I also made a cultured return to the Guardian's OBO. (71st over)

Guess which excites me more.

Done.

Previously, I remembered 9 July as the day I was hospitalised with internal bleeding.

Henceforth: it is the day I finished my PhD.

I have just emailed it off to the printers and will be submitting it tomorrow.

'More later'.

101,379

I'm definitely entering the endgame now: the introduction, body chapters, conclusion, and bibliography are all written. I am now above the word limit. My examiners have agreed to read my thesis and I'm entered into the exam. My student days are drawing to an end and I have to face the reality of waking up every day without a PhD to think about!

97,000

Soon my enforced sabbatical from reality will be at an end ... I finished the introduction to the thesis today (yes, I left it til the end) and even filled in the PhD exam entrance form. After four years of slog and one year of considerably faster slog, I'm nearly done! I've even got a title for the thing now. Just got the conclusion, formatting, corrections and filling in one or two gaps to go...

Moreover, a £25 voucher for Adnams products arrived in the post today, as I won the Environment Agency's 'Nitrogen Safety' competition at the Suffolk Show. As I said, I'm on a sabbatical from reality...