The Lair

Thank Gawd It’s Offal? Ornamental? Probably. But no, I meant Over.Except it’s not, really.

It only took 4 years, 1 month and 4 days. Ugh. And yet, although I say it’s over - it really isn’t. There is possibly another six months of life left in the carcass. Members of family and random onlookers are confused when I point this out - but the thing is that submitting the hefty document just starts the examination process.

But soul searching and searching for employment or chasing down seed money for a startup, as someone is hilariously suggesting to me, is for the morrow. Today I am off to … err .. have a massive hot shower, kick feet up and loll around in front of the TV. Hell yes. All I need is a pipe, comfy bedroom slippers and a tartan robe and I can be that grumpy old man.

And if the planets align tomorrow (and less likely, if GNER still functions); Ed should be visiting. So we can wander around York, get beaten up by the local BNP thuggies and otherwise have a merry old time. There is also a forecast of gale force winds for this weekend, which should enliven proceedings.

Ok, this is too hilarious to resist. York bans Bonfire Night. That’s tonight, by the way. Which is fine, really. I’ve been known to have a pyrotechnic bent in my misspent youth, but I honestly can’t say I care.

What is funny though is that I’ve noticed the number of fireworks set off this year have seen a marked increase. I’ve heard miniature explosions all through this weekend, as if the angry hordes of chavs who couldn’t set off their explosives under the guidance of the council (ha!) are blowing shit up anyway. Yes, I did call them chavs. I mean it. There was arson last year. And you thought stuff like that just happened with angry Parisian mobs, eh?

And in other news, the ongoing saga that is my thesis educational soap opera lurches from one crisis to another. For a change, I’m not actually responsible for any of it this time. And no, I still haven’t submitted because I was practically forced into a 30 day extension. Ugh.

Most stages of my life have a few defining works associated with them. When I joined the workforce a good few years ago; I obsessively read Joel Spolsky, related to a lot that was being said. In my more cynical moments, I’d nod knowingly at the themes covered by Dilbert. If there is one defining work that describes my graduate student era perfectly, that’s probably PhDComics.

So, yeah. Last night I attended a talk by Jorge Cham (he pronounced it Hoar-gay); a guy who does a comic about graduate students. Crikey. The allegedly monstrous training and skills development budget actually produced something useful. Huzzah!!

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