It’s now August and the new month brings great significance. Firstly, and most importantly, in the middle of August I shall receive my final monthly payment of my Newcastle University PhD studentship. After that point the money to fund the lifestyle I have become accustomed to over the last 35 and a bit months officially runs out! My teaching should get me enough cash to get me through until Christmas, and maybe a little after, but the pressure is definitely on now.
But I have not been idle of the summer and have made a great step towards getting my thesis finished by drafting the final main substantive chapter that needed doing. So I could, just about, but together a complete document now. But I will still need to redraft my theoretical framework, which does need doing urgently. Once that’s nailed, I think I’ll be in really good position. So, I am happy with the work I have been doing over July and the incentive of the cash running out helped me to get those words down. I submitted the draft, on time, to my supervisors yesterday and look forward to receiving their comments. Glad to have got this one out of the way as I was dreading writing it. It has some strong parts, but probably isn’t as bad as I think it is. I’m sure it will benefit from some redrafting though!
The second great significance of August is that after 6 weeks away teaching at a bioethics summer school at Yale, my girlfriend will be back in the country. Can’t wait for that. I’ve missed her, but it’s also made me get on with drafting my chapter and aiming to have it done before she lands at Heathrow Thursday morning. Which I did!
The third reason I am happy that August has arrived is that I have lots of fun things planned for it. The cricket against India is going well and am very much looking forward to going to the next test match at Edgbaston next week. We will be attending the first two days and that means I shall be spending my birthday watching the cricket and, doubtless, going to one of Birmingham’s fine curry houses. The fun doesn’t end there, my girlfriend will be coming down to see me the following weekend, I think she’s got plans to spoil me rotten for my slightly belated birthday. At the end of the month, I shall be attending a wedding of a friend I went to school with. Should be fun, we all managed to survive the stag night a couple of weeks ago, so I’m sure the wedding will be a good do.
Then, before I know it, it will be September again and I shall be back in Newcastle, living in a new place and looking forward to teaching and working on my thesis! Better enjoy the fun times while I still can then!