Life is hectic

Today I am mostly relaxing away my day off, yet it can't be entirely relaxed because I have a lot to do before going to Ireland in two weeks. Yep, two weeks, how sudden is that? The tickets are booked, over 30 hours each way, then I have just over a week after I arrive to get prepared before my exam. That's actually a good thing because I don't have time to prepare before I go. I have to finish my publishing diploma module before I go, which is what I need to do on my days off this week, and my supervisor thinks we can publish another paper before the exam. Which is crazy, especially the idea that I get the draft to her as soon as possible. I work almost full time, I can't just churn out an academic paper in two weeks on top of that. I also need to organise with my friends over there who I am going to stay with, I need to organise with friends here who can look after Cher, and I need to make sure that there will be enough money in my bank account to cover the bills while I am gone and not working, and cover my spending while in Ireland. It's going to be rough. So to add to all that my washing machine broke and I'm about to buy another one. I wanted to get a new one anyway, but I was thinking in about a year, not immediately. I thought my secondhand one would do for a year because they usually do. Perhaps we got unlucky or perhaps we somehow treated it bad? Anyway, luckily it's labour weekend and there are big sales. I will buy it from Harvey Norman because the guy there does a really good job of selling things to me - even has me half convinced to spend way over my budget in order to get a front-loader. I shouldn't though, nothing wrong with a top-loader. Even then I will have to put it on my credit card and just figure it out later; I can't spend my actual money on it just in case the trip to Ireland really screws my finances up. So, long story short, as you can see life is pretty crazy right now.

On a different note, just quickly before I get up and go knock on my neighbour's door to get my washing because she has been so kind as to let me use her machine (lucky that because I just ran out of clean socks), I will tell a Cher story. Yesterday evening I took her for a walk and the weather had improved to become a nice day so we were having a nice walk, except right at the end on the way home we came across another dog which turned out to not be so nice. I put Cher on the leash and I asked the guy with the other dog if it was friendly and he didn't say no and pull it away, so I was pretty shocked when it attacked my poor dog and took a chunk of fur off her back. Perhaps it wasn't his dog or something, but he should have known that the dog he was walking was reactive like that. Poor Cher yelped and cried and then jumped all over me to make herself feel better. Then today we came across another unknown dog and instead of wanting to meet it properly she was quite reserved, so she must remember getting a scare yesterday. She's fine of course, but it wasn't a very nice way to end our walk. At least the start of the walk was good, Cher even found half a tree to drag around:

Next big thing: PhD exam

To finish my PhD, I have to do an exam. It is called the viva voce and is an oral defense exam that can last hours, although hopefully mine won't. One of my examiners will be from my university, and was one of the committee members for my PhD. The other is another adhesive researcher, who was my host for my short stay in Belgium a couple of years ago and is a co-author on my published paper. So the examiners are both good and not scary, but the exam itself is another kettle of fish. It will surely be fine, unless the examiners don't think my thesis and research are up to standard. Plus there's the fact that I was sure I would be able to do the exam via conference call - surely that sort of thing is pretty standard these days? Turns out that is not the case, or at least not where my supervisor is concerned. However, I don't have the money to fly to Ireland. You would think that would an end to the idea of doing the exam in person, but as of Friday morning it looks like I'm heading back to Ireland. It's not confirmed yet and the dates are not certain but somehow the research grant will pay for the flights. So perhaps as soon as one month I will fly to Ireland to do the exam and make any corrections that are required, and hopefully put together the last publications from my research.

So hopefully I will only be away for three weeks. I know it sounds like a good deal, a paid flight to Ireland, but it's not. I didn't want to do the exam in person, I can't afford to have a holiday right now, to be away from work and have no income, plus I'm worried about the flat in my absence, and what to do with Cher. Yes, it will be great to see my friends, but it is also possible that I will not have much free time to spend with them. I look forward to stocking up on my favourite European brands, but of course that doesn't really help the no income while away in Ireland thing. And it will be cold over there. Although the upside to that is that when I come back it will seem extra warm here. It's just a real nuisance to turn my life upside down right now, and it is so soon that it interferes with plans that I already had. Like I had been planning on heading down south for a visit at the start of December, but now I will not be able to afford to take time off work for that, after taking time off to go to Ireland. So looks like I won't be back till after Christmas. Oh well, at least it should be warm down there by then. 

Life after thesis

Has it been two weeks since I sent my thesis away? It's hard to tell, time is still flying by so fast. I haven't really been doing that much, although I have loads on my list of things to do. The most important is yet more study; I really need to catch up on my publishing diploma. I haven't had many days off of work to focus on it, but truth be told, I can mostly just make it up as I go along. I just need to get focused. But it is so nice to be able to spend my days off doing whatever I want. I take Cher on big walks, I have made a veggie garden, I cleaned the house, I've been cooking and baking. But mostly I want to lie around and watch tv and sleep. Work really gets in the way, but I have to somehow be motivated enough to want to work, so that I have enough money to keep paying the bills and eating. This working hard for money thing really sucks. It's not like I have a bad job, I really like it, and I love the lack of stress and responsibility. It's just that I would rather have more free time. I hate leaving Cher home alone all day, and I still haven't had time to finish my book or start sewing again or finish making my house nice. 

Speaking of Cher, I will tell one story before I retreat to bed for the night. In the mornings we walk to the dog park and walk with other dogs; they generally all play together and mostly get on well. Lately Cher has been joining another dog in chasing a ball, and for the most part they seemed fine, even though he was quite possessive over his ball. But the other day, after about half an hour, I guess Cher got sick of this other little dog having a go at her as they both raced for the ball. Next thing we knew, they were really going at it and neither would give in; unless you've seen your dog getting carried away with a fight you have no idea how scary it is. Cher is bigger and had the other dog pinned down but he wouldn't give in, and I thought she had torn a huge hole in his neck because his red collar looked like an open wound. We had to hit them and pry their jaws apart to separated them and they both came away bleeding, though neither seemed to notice or to realise that they had been behaving badlly. It was time to go home anyway so we managed to drag our dogs away, but Cher's ear was bleeding quite a lot and she kept shaking her head, so she ended up looking really fierce with blood all over her head and cheek. I got her home and cleaned her up and put honey on it because it's supposed to be antibacterial. When she was finally settled on the couch she seemed to realise what she had done and that she was hurt, and then she looked so pathetic and sorry for herself all day. She is fine though, and her ear is all better now. But they don't get to play fetch together anymore, it's just too risky. Right now she's sleeping on the couch under my legs and she will not be impressed that I have full days of work for the next three days.

To end on a lighter note, every nice day that I walk Cher I notice what a great view I have. I'm only about a 5 or 10 minute drive from the city, yet from my house you can see bush and hills and ocean, and walking the dog is almost like not being in a city at all. This was my view yesterday morning, first of Owhiro Bay and the dog park, then Island Bay, then Wellington city:

Finishing my PhD thesis

Well how long has it been since I have written here? Has it been a month or more? Well I'm really sorry, but I was busy - with work, with my thesis, and with being exhausted. But now it is over! I finished the full draft of my thesis last week and this week has been proofreading. Just now I sent the file to the printer in Galway and it will be handed in within a week, whenever the form that I had to sign arrives over there in the post. So it's pretty much over and for the next couple of weeks I will not think about it at all. This blog is not the only thing that has been neglected this last wee while - I haven't done any housework, I have hardly contacted my friends, I have forgotten people's birthdays and I have not been working on my publishing diploma. So now I have time to rest and to do whatever I want for awhile, then it will be time to arrange the defense exam and prepare for that. Hopefully there will be no corrections and it will just be all done. There are still a couple of papers to get published but I stopped caring quite some time ago - now I will just go with whatever my supervisor wants.

As for other things, I intend to get back into telling the world (as in, the couple of people that are listening) about all the crazy things that go on in my life through the medium of this blog. For instance, yesterday morning I was out with the dog; we bike to the dog-park and then walk, then bike home. It was really stormy and when I came back over the hill from the dog-park my bike was gone! I though to myself who would steal my crappy bike? And in fact I was more concerned about the dog leash that was with it, it probably cost more than the bike did. Then I looked over the road and it was way over there in a gorse bush. I think the wind must have blown it away but at the same time that seems sort of unlikely. Who would know. Anyway, then we were biking home, taking it slow, and some guy in a car nearly hit us because he was not watching where he was going at all! Luckily no harm was done and we went on our way. But what a morning, right? And speaking of stormy weather, I have been trying to start a vege garden and some of my seeds were starting to grow, but then the wind the other week blew all my pots down and everything was spilt - some I managed to salvage but I'm not entirely sure what is what now. So you see, despite being busy life has gone on as normal and I still have funny incidents to make a story out of - hopefully from now on I will have the energy to write again. And start taking photos so you can see where I live now! Anyway, time to go, have celebrating to do (not much though because most of my new friends are busy).

Sorry for long absence...

How long has it been since I have written? Who knows - I know I wrote a quick update after Aus, but that seems like so long ago right now! I have been very busy trying not to procrastinate so that my thesis will be finished on time. I have just written an awesome paragraph and I will stop there for the morning because I need some thinking time. Luckily, I had actually written a lot more than I realised so all I really need to worry about is writing a good general discussion, and a better general introduction. Other chapters just need little things. I should be focussing all my energy on the thesis for just these last few weeks, but I still can't seem to find that sense of urgency. On Friday we are having a party at work to celebrate the end of the Warhol exhibit and this evening I am going to make a little 60s mini-dress for it, and I also plan to bake muffins and do housework. Yesterday I went op-shopping and did gardening. Tomorrow I plan on going shopping and painting some shoes silver for this party. So you see plenty of my energy is still going into other things and I really just can't seem to change that. For every good paragraph or two that I get written, I need to take at least an hour off to do something more fun. So progress is slow, but just imagine, if I actually only did my thesis, how quickly it would have got done - surely I wouldn't have known what to do with myself if it were already finished? Shame I don't still get paid for it though, it's rough having to actually work to make money.

Anyway, it's a beautiful day here in Welly and I do not get to enjoy most of it because I have to go to work. Much nicer to walk the dog today though, compared to getting soaked to the bone in the weekend. It was so windy last night that it sounded like trees would be blown down, but nothing major has happened so I guess that was just normal Wellington wind. There have been no more earthquakes so life has been pretty tame, but just in case I plan on blu-tak-ing down all my breakable things, so that if another earthquake hits I won't have to buy lots of new stuff. Perhaps that will be next week's procrastination? That and putting pictures and stuff on the walls, so that it looks like a home in time for my housewarming party - I can have one now because I finally got more furniture. Trademe is great sometimes, I got two awesome couches for just $16, but I also got a dryer for much more than that and it stopped working almost right away. It's OK though because the neighbour that is moving is going to give me her dryer. All I need now is a dining table really, then I can stop spending money. Or rather, I can stop spending money on house things and start spending money on shoes. Because there are so many more shoe shops here with so many pretty shoes to buy. Or maybe I will spend it on fabric and distract myself with making summer clothes for when the it finally gets warm. Or save it for a holiday? Well, I don't really have any time right now so it's time to go, and the only picture I have to leave you with is of a dull and dreary day in which I had to drive out to Lower Hutt to return the furniture moving truck that I hired (I drove a big truck, it was an interesting experience). So here is Wellington in the rain, as seen from the Esplanade in Lower Hutt (with Cher of course):

Visiting Sydney

I am back in NZ now, after what seemed like a very short 4 days in Sydney. I am stuck in the airport in Christchurch because the morning flights to Welly were cancelled due to fog. Luckily there is free wifi in the airport, unlike at Sydney airport where they are stuck in the past. So I will use my waiting time in the airport (I have another hour to wait still and no book to read) to write a blog post, so that when I get back to Welly I don't use this to procrastinate from writing my thesis.

Sydney was very warm, it didn't feel like winter at all. That plus the fact that the gum trees don't lose their leaves made it really feel like stepping into summer - and I felt way overdressed in my winter clothes. The 4 days flew by because we did a lot, but even then there was a lot that we didn't do. We went to the zoo, which was good, but it closed at 4.30 pm, which we weren't expecting, so we didn't get to see it all. We only missed out on the Australian exhibits though and I've seen that stuff before so it was all good. I was really tired after having to get up so insanely early for my flight, so a good sleep and a quiet Saturday were welcomed by me. Over the course of the weekend we tried out some restaurants, wandered through a market, walked over the harbour bridge and went on a cruise of the harbour in a tall-ship (I'm not sure why they call them that, but it's one of those old ships with big sails, like a pirate ship). We were going to go up the big tower in the middle of Sydney and have lunch in the revolving restaurant but we ran out of time because we were too busy ice-skating! After which we found a Baskin-Robbins and I introduced my Aussie friends to my favourite ice-cream flavour, chocolate peanut butter.

Now my little holiday in the sun is over and I am back. It's time to get my thesis finished, so the next two months might be stressful and busy. Perhaps it will be some time before I write again so I will leave you with lots of pictures to enjoy for now instead.

High Stress Levels

Me and stress don't go together very well. For the most part I manage to be pretty calm and chilled out, but when that fails I am such a mess. Moving to Wellington and starting work immediately has had me teetering on the edge for weeks, and this morning's somewhat dramatic events are a good example of how me and stress don't go well together.

To begin with, I've been tired all week because Cher has been waking me up at least a half hour before my alarm (which is set really bloody early to begin with so that I have time to walk her). I sorted out flatmates, but the one that has moved in already has so far demonstrated a habit of getting up at 5 am to have breakfast? Perhaps it will not be an every morning thing though - or perhaps she will get quieter or I will get used to it and not wake up. I am still in the process of organising my new life - I have registered the dog up here yet and I haven't changed over my car registration, but I have changed my details for other important things, and I also had time to get my brakes fixed, which was very necessary. I bought a shiny new tv but still don't have enough furniture, or internet, or a proper aerial on the roof for getting freeview. And I had long work days, which really tire me out. And I found out that I have a deadline for my thesis and it is September 30, which really means mid-September because I need time to print it and get forms signed and arrange for it to be handed in without my being there in person. So, lot's to be worried and stressed about right? Add to that the fact that I hadn't sorted out anywhere to stay in Christchurch (I am here two nights, on my way to and from Aus). Finally, on top of it all, I have had a cold. So yesterday at work I wasn't in a very good mood.

After work, and taking the dog for a run, I got accommodation sorted at the YHA, who were so helpful and made it so easy. I immediately felt better and less stressed, which carried through to the morning, even thought I didn't get enough sleep. However, then things got bad again. First I had to find time to go the bank, because I opened up another bank account so that I could get a credit card and stuff (PSIS just doesn't cut it when it comes to buying stuff online). The lady at the bank is very nice but she is also very slow. So after that I was running a little late, but what really made my morning bad was that I managed to drive the wrong way as I tried to get to the kennels where Cher was booked in. Which I might add was another reason for my general stress, as I worry about leaving her in a strange place. So instead of going the right way I headed out to the Hutt, and ended up in Petone. Between that and another couple of wrong turns I surely wasted a half hour that I really needed. So I got her to the kennel and I liked the place well enough, and getting back to the city went smoothly. But then I had to park the car up by my brother's place, where the parking is not free but apparently nobody ever checks it. There were none close to his house so I had to drive way up this tiny windy road, then when I found a park I had to try to turn around to go back to it. So on this tiny, windy road my three point turn ended in my backing into another car. Luckily, a parked car and nobody was around to see. But that's really bad, right? What's worse - I was so rushed for time I couldn't stop to see how much damage I had done or to leave a note. I just left it. How bad is that.

Next I had to parallel park in a tiny space on a hill. I'm not good at parallel parking. It didn't go well. Probably the worst parked car ever. But I had to leave it because I was going to miss my plane. At this point I should have stopped and thought 'I should call a taxi to get me there faster and with less hassle'. Of course, I didn't think of that because I already had my plan of getting on the airport bus and in my stressed out state I couldn't think enough to deviate from the plan. So I walked as fast as I could to the bus-stop, and I didn't manage to take the fastest walking route because I'm still getting used to the city, and the weather was much warmer than I anticipated so I was very warm and uncomfortable. I made it to the bus stop in a state of panic, to find that the next bus was 10 minutes away. So I waited, still in a state of panic, convinced I would miss my flight and hoping that they would be kind enough to just put me on the next flight at no cost. The bus finally arrived and I double checked my electronic ticket, which said that I had to be there 20 minutes before departure, not the half hour I thought. So I had an extra 10 minutes to get there. The bus arrived just on time and I rushed in and ran to the check in place, because AirNZ doesn't do online check in (if it did, I would have not been worried at all). I put my booking number into the self-service thing, and it said that I could not check in! Then it printed out a ticket that told me to go get some assistance. Luckily, an AirNZ person saw me looking so flustered and managed to quickly get me onto the flight, so I did make it in the end. But it was not fun, I have never cut it so close before (except when I nearly missed my Ireland-NZ flight, but that was the connecting flight's fault and not my own).

So that was my morning, and the culmination of my being too stressed out is extra-bad driving. So in the future, I must try harder not to get into such a situation. I have already reduced my work hours, so that I have time for my thesis without getting into that state. Next I simply have to not book travel and then move city right before I go, neglecting to finish organising my travel. Perhaps not getting lost while driving in Wellington would help too?

Now I'm in Christchurch and soon I'll be off to Aus for 4 days. Can't wait. Have no money though. When I get back I will have internet on in the house, so I will be able to start including photos again. I will have flatmates and I will finish getting furniture. I will finish my stupid thesis. But right now I'm going to go and relax and have a holiday.