Hello everyone!!

Life has been hectic and full-on as usual. Sadly, my gorgeous dog passed away a couple of weeks ago, which was heart-breaking. The house is so quiet and empty, just awful. So, that did me in for a bit.

Then last week had 4 job interviews for really interesting jobs in the civil service (yes, there are such a thing!), and landed an excellent job! My dream job actually, if I have to be in the civil service, a prestigious adviser/researcher position to one of Australia's human rights commissioners. Woo!! And it's in my favourite city!! Excellent! Only downside is that my partner can't move with me, as he needs to stay in this city for another 12 months. Still, we'll cope being apart for a little while. And I won't mind not working in academia, have had quite enough of it...

Have also been accepted to give a paper in Leeds in April - so do tell me where else I should go in the area!! Am thinking of a holiday in Yorkshire maybe, before heading off to Italy...

So, after a horrible year, things have finally turned the corner. Season's greetings to everyone, hope things are working out for you all too!!!

Hello friends

We haven't spoken to each other in a long time! How is everyone? How's life post-thesis? It's been full on for me - I've moved cities, have found a lovely place to live, and start my new job tomorrow. So, all very exciting. I've moved by myself as my partner needs to stay in our old town for another year or so, so this is a real challenge for me. But all's going well so far.

I've received the best news - MY THESIS PASSED, WITH NO REVISIONS!!! Woooo!!! I pick up the bound copy next week, then will get the magical letter saying that's it! Then I'll be Dr Sue!! Woooo!!!

Just wanted to share my good news. Let me know how you're all going.:-)

Woot! Well done Dr Sue :-) I wondered how you were getting on. That's brilliant news.

Good luck for the future, including your new job and new city.

Congrats Sue.

NO corrections ! that's amazing. Very well done.

New Year, new Sue by the sound of it... all the very best with your adventure.

Chuff

Dear Sue,

congratulations!! Well done, everything seems to be coming together for you. I am very happy for you!

I am also nearly there, yet not completely, still need to do some work.



:-)

Congratulations Dr Sue! That is fantastic news, I am so pleased for you. Sounds like everything is finally coming together with the job too, I hope it is enjoyable!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a very merry X'mas and new year.

Sorry haven't logged in for ages so belated congrats on the job Sue. That's such great news. I'm really, really happy for you!! So glad you got a job that you wanted, on top of getting the Dr title, after everything that you've been through.

I'm doing ok, still liking this new city and uni that I now live and work in. Only downside is that my thesis corrections deadline is coming up and I have no motivation whatsoever to do it! I've been given some corrections to do after my Viva, which can probably be done in no more than a few days' time (in a very comfortable pace), but so far I've been putting it off. I'm so sick of the thesis - whenever I try to start working on the corrections it put me in a very bad mood! I know it's the very final step so just need to pull myself together and get on with it...

Well done again Sue and have a great 2011 everyone!

I got on with my minor corrections immediately, Montezuma. I didn't have the PhD until they were done, and signed off, and I wanted that very badly, so I was very motivated. Maybe that will help you get them done. Not doing corrections = no PhD! :p

They are a bit boring to do (mine were just fixing typos + improving some captions), but they need doing, and once you get into them they don't seem so bad to be doing, and are over soon.

Hello everyone! I hope you're all having a good start to 2011!
Massive congratulations Sue, i'm pleased as punch for you! :) Also congrats for the job, it sounds like life is sorting itself out for you! I'm so sorry to hear about your lovely dog, and also that you have to be apart from partner, but I hope despite all this, you are excited about the new chapter and adventures with no PhD!

Wow also no corrections, that's awesome! You must feel like a total star Dr Sue!

Isn't it weird, we used to be on here all the time, and as its all come to a close we just don't get on here the same! I do still think of you all, and occasionally come on to check peoples progress, but since finishing I think I've been blocking out the horrors of PhD life like a bad car crash, and distanced myself from everything to do with it!

After my festive holidays (although very busy), I do feel a bit more normal, the last few months have been pretty low for me after finishing, I think just with all the stress and anxiety of those last months, my body and mind went to melt down, but i'm certainly on the mend now!

I hope you're all doing well, and aren't suffering some weird kind of PTSD (post thesis stress disorder!) too!?

Rick that's great that you're almost there too, I can't imagine what its been like being dragged out like this, but not long now! Do you have dates or anything?

Monte, I go with Bilbo, I did mine that weekend after viva, i just wanted them gone, and for a day or so of horror having to go back through it, that was it, and I have hardly looked at it since. Just think, no more phd, hard bound, done and dusted! My corrections were also typos and little paragraph changes, it was pretty dull, but actually not as bad as I expected, there was no major analytical/evaluative brain required, just change this to this, etc! I sat with a cup of tea and some munchie food and just ticked off the list one by one - DONE! :)

All the best everyone for a fab 2011! AL x

Hi Al and everyone

Nice to hear from you! Glad to hear you're feeling better - it does take a lot to recover from the thesis. I submitted, then had to write an abstract for a conference paper, then a journal article, then do job interviews. Then move to a new city, find a flat and start a new job and life. Phew!!! I did have a break over Xmas, but it wasn't all that relaxing as I was stressed about finding somewhere to live. But things are falling into place.

I'm not at all sure I want to live in my new city anymore - I lived in a little town doing my thesis, and moving back to a really huge city is confronting. So many people! And so much traffic, takes so long to get anywhere, constant rushing etc etc...But will see how it all goes.

Last week I got my bound thesis back - looks beautiful!! All I have to do now is submit it electronically, then uni will send me an email. hopefully this week, and I'll be Dr Sue!! Woo!!

And yes, good luck Rick and Monte. Let me know how you're doing!!

Best,

Sue

Hey everyone! Just saw this, can't believe I missed all the updates! That's fantastic news that you're all done now Sue, I hope you get settled into city life soon though! It's really strange getting used to being around people and busy places again after the solitude of writing up! And glad you hear things are on the mend for you too AL, remember to keep as relaxed as you can and allow yourself to get fixed after PhD madness!
I've still got corrections to do, I'm collecting them tomorrow but hopefully it won't take too long, I think it's mostly changing words and fixing references/typos. Hopefully anyway! I think I've been offered a lecturing job too in another city which is great, just what I wanted to do! It's kind of part time so the moneys not great but it's liveable, and fantastic experience. Plus I really want to try living in a different place for a while, things are changing all around me, including my relationship, and it feels strange still being at home, like I'm being help in the past when I want to move on or something. So onwards and upwards!
And to Rick and everyone else who are almost done, keep plodding on!!

Hi AQ!

Glad to hear you're well, and almost done too! WOOO! And that's excellent that you've picked up a lecturing position - well done. And a new city for you too - v. exciting! Hope you're doing ok, particularly if you're relationship isn't going well...

Interesting isn't it - we all finish, and want to move, take on the next huge challenge. I'm sure we could all opt for easier lives, but it seems we need to do big things. Good luck! And keep going and good luck everyone else too!