work hard, play hard

note - i wrote this post the other day but never got around to publishing it.

also? today is especially tough. ooooof.

so, on with the post...

these days are tough but also wonderful. a colleague is currently on leave so my responsibilities have suddenly increased, as has my workload. i really enjoy my job (working for a consultancy helping to buy and sell luxury jets as well as manage assets - a world away from academia!!) and the challenge has been extremely rewarding. but the other day my thesis was returned with corrections. more corrections than anticipated. my supervisors are very impressed with the standard of my work but they want it to be even better and their perfectionism is overwhelming.

juggling both these new workloads tipped me over the edge yesterday and i sat at my desk with tears in my eyes, trying my very best to keep calm and focus on the positives.

luckily, i have managed to negotiate some time off at very short notice so the next week will be spent ploughing on with final changes. i didn't really feel i had time to PROPERLY relax in between submitting my draft and getting this new feedback. but this means  it will all be over, properly over (except for the viva) sooner than anticipated.

but life has most certainly not been all  work, work, work. the weather has been glorious, except for a few rainy (but pretty warm) days here and there. life revolves around the lake and our balcony and most work-day evenings still have a holiday feeling to them, despite raffaele and myself having very early starts and working very long days. we have had BBQs a plenty, swum in the lake and been on a speedboat while a friend wakeboarded behind. but the highlight was spending time on a yacht.

BLISS.

here are a few photos to add to this unusually wordy blog post. i have some lovely little videos of recent lake life too but am never at a computer long enough to upload them. i'll share them soon...

sailing into the sunset

 

sunset supper on the yacht

raff having a pre-dinner swim

 

ps. a very belated thank you to all of you who commented on here, by e-mail, text, on facebook , twitter and instagram. sharing my highs and lows with you all has been a real help on this seemingly endless journey!

nancy x

i did it!

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done and DUSTED! i just submitted a thesis which i am SO proud of!

there is a little more to do once my supervisors have read it in its entirity but all the hard stuff is done, OVER.

it's plain sailing now!

i am over the moon and shattered all at the same time. i keep thinking of all of the ways i want to celebrate. but right now, i can hear raffaele pulling into our driveway so we'll have a drink on the balcony and both bask in the glory that it is OVER (almost...)

the final push

so, here i am, very close to a finish line but not THE finish line.

i am working super hard this long weekend (thursday was a public holiday in switzerland and fridays are my study day) to finish a polished draft. i am behind schedule but i am optimistic and, most importantly, i have begun to feel very pleased with what i have written to date.

it is very difficult for non academics to understand why this is going on and on, why i am having to work quite so hard, why i didn't make my deadline of last week and why i can't take a break - especially this weekend. some people are even pissed off with me because of it! thank goodness raffaele is so incredibly supportive and he is oh so proud of me, as i am of myself :)

so, here it is, the final (almost) push. i will be able to take it easy for the next month or so while my examiners comment on the most recent draft. but then i'll have to crank it up again, make the FINAL corrections and officially submit! i anticipate a summer of champagne and mini celebrations!

for now, it's GO GO GO and there's no going back!

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