ex-PhD widow

We got a late-night phone call from Australia last night. My usual reaction to phone calls at midnight is Oh-God-what's-wrong? - but, nothing is wrong. He's done! B2's thesis has FINALLY been accepted and he is now a doctor.
So now I really need to change the name of this blog. And try to convince him to work out a way to take leave later in the year so we can go back for his graduation ceremony. Hardly seems worth all that effort if I don't get to laugh behind my hand at the silly outfit they'll make him wear.

I'm back!

So I've never been the best at keeping my posts regular and frequent, but I have a few great excuses this time:

1. Moving halfway across the world. Working out what to pack, what to sell off, and what to put into storage. Inevitably realising that you've left behind something important. Finding a new place to live (trying to make sure it's reasonably cheap, has a low crime rate, is less likely to fall down during an earthquake and is reasonably accessible for all the places we want to get to, especially while we still don't have a car). Oh, did I mention selling off the car? Yes, SaVvY BII is gone :(. Settling in to aforementioned place to live. Buying all the appliances we need that we couldn't bring with us because they won't operate at 110V/60Hz. And furniture, because lugging all of your furniture halfway across the world is EXPENSIVE. Putting all said furniture together (of course we went the IKEA option). Oh, and somehow manage to establish somewhat of a normal social life in a new city at the same time. This would probably be a good enough excuse in itself, but I do have another:
2. Facebook. It's just too easy to jump onto facebook and update your status message to let your friends know what you're up to. With the added advantage that you can also quickly check out what your friends are up to as well.
3. We've had some problems posting on the server :(. This'll go up as soon as that's fixed though.
   

So enough with the excuses. Our new place is awesome - a brand new apartment in Potrero Hill, the sunniest part of San Francisco city.

And best of all, Bhautik has received his thesis review, and once he completes the revisions, he'll be done! Any suggestions for a new name on this blog?

PhD widows on facebook

Thanks to Tamar Wilner, we've got a place to get together and whinge:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2453604453

PhD update!

He's actually submitting! To the actual university! As soon as he can get the darn thing printed - whoa but that's expensive. Anyway, should be all done with by the end of the week...so with any luck he'll graduate this year :)

To Andrea...I think it's the nature of PhD programs to just keep dragging on - and on, and on. B2's been going for nearly 5 1/2 years now I think. Lost count, might be 6...oh, and we're based in Oz. Sydney, to be precise.

I know one guy who completed his PhD in 3 years, but he's extremely unusual among my acquaintances - maybe most people I know are procrastinators. For all those out there doing a PhD who would like to still have a partner at the end of the process, my advice is what just about everyone will give you: start writing early, and write often. How's that for originality?

Mike Slackenerny's done

I don't believe it. That classic never-to-finish PhD student has done it! B2 is very put out by being beaten by that guy, I can tell you. Not to mention that I'm giving him hell about it ;)

So frustrating! So nearly there!

I wish I had Jen's powers: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=836. Of course, maybe I would be if I was married to Mike Slackenerny, who has been a PhD student for at least 10 years...I guess I don't have it that bad after all. B2's thesis submission has been accepted, with a few revisions, by his supervisor, so now he just has to do the revisions and submit it. And then get it approved by the assessors...sigh.

In other news, I found my scarf. I'm knitting a scarf, apparently in garter stitch, but since it's my first scarf, I don't really know what that is. Celia could tell you more - she's my teacher. When I get to see her, which isn't often enough :(.

Anyway, I found my scarf. I thought I had left it on the bus on Monday morning - I've been knitting on the bus - and had somehow left it on the seat when I got off. But B2 found it this afternoon in the house. So I'm very happy to have it back. I'm very proud of my scarf, though if I ever get around to posting pictures of it you won't understand why. In my defense, it's my first attempt. With any luck I'll have it finished by next winter.

Limbo land

This page won't be going for much longer...not even sure whether it should be now. When does a PhD end? When he finishes his draft? When it gets submitted? Or not until the ceremony with the funny hat?

I don't feel like a widow anymore, that's for sure. Since the draft was handed in and he got a "real" job, I see a lot more of him (he got a job with my company, for a start), and when we're at home, he doesn't spend all his time in the study.

So, if I'm not a PhD widow anymore, I at least need to change the name of this blog. I think more likely I'll be moving into his blog. I've been told I'll be welcome.

Meanwhile, I will try to post more often. Sometime soon I'll do an update on everything I've been up to in the last three months. Life's been busy.

The draft is done!

He's finished his draft! Handed it in!

Supervisor is reviewing it now, which means B2's time is pretty much unoccupied. I'll pretty much got him back now I think, which means this blog is going to change names soon. I'm so excited!

In other news, my brother-in-law is in town, visiting from Heidelberg, my really good friend has just been visiting from the U.S., and my brother is visiting from the U.K. - and getting married soon. And Christmas season is starting. Life is very exciting right now.

Life is good

This post is basically just a shameless plug for my work. I wanted to post up a link to them, and I'm having trouble publishing it. So I'm adding a post on the basis that this might help with whatever the publishing glitch is.

So, anyway.

My work is fantastic fun actually. There aren't many places, especially not in Australia, where you can work on cutting-edge technology and science, get paid to play games and watch movies (sometimes), all in a great location with magnificent views:



Heaps fun.

Oh, and an update on PhD widowhood...I think there might be less than a month to go! He's on the home stretch. Very exciting. I'll be getting my husband back! Still haven't decided what to change the name of this blog to...