Week 125, Day 869.
It’s only Monday and I am already done with the week. :’) On Tuesday, we (my other half and I, who I dragged along with me) drove to Aberystwyth (Wales) for the purpose of data acquisition for my project from one of my sponsor companies, Welsh Water. The 2 days that I spent with a member of staff at the company were more productive than the last 125 weeks combined! Therefore, as tiring as travelling can be (it took us 7 hours to get home), I will be pencilling in more ‘working visits’ with all of my project sponsor companies. ✏ Photo: The calm before the storm ‘Ciara’ - Aberystwyth Source: Phone camera.
The driving didn’t end there. The day after getting home from Wales saw us travelling up to Newcastle to spend the weekend with family. ❤ This was lovely but also meant that we had to drive home through storm Ciara, which was nerve-wracking and exhausting. 🚗 Buttons’ biopsy results came back last week and thankfully the lump on his side is only a benign lipoma!!! 🎉 However, I read somewhere that these kinds of lumps tend to appear in overweight animals. I had suspected that he was a little on the heavy side and my concerns were confirmed today when we took him to a weight clinic, which is basically weight watchers for cats. Turns out we’ve been overfeeding him, even though we were sure that his diet was healthy; 2 pouches of wet food and a scoop of kibble a day, with some treats time to time. In fact, he’s only supposed to have 1 pouch a day, half the amount of kibble, and hardly any treats... Ooops! So our floofy little chunk is going on a diet! 🐈 Remember to talk to a professional if you’re ever unsure about your pets well-being, I’m really glad we did!
Photo: Completely unaware that he’s now on a weight-loss plan. (Yes, those are glow-in-the-dark dinosaurs in the background). Source: Phone camera.
A few weeks ago I mentioned that I have decided to spend an hour a month with my scariest supervisor. I had my first hour last week, discussing the contents of my thesis; an experience that was somehow both terrifying and exciting. I have SO MUCH work ahead of me, but I can now kind of begin to see the finish line, with my glasses on, squinting... It’s somewhere in the distance, beyond the fog, thorn bushes, and lava, but it’s there. 🔍 I know of and have heard of so many PhD students who quit at this stage of their project and I can totally understand why. The workload ahead is extremely overwhelming, but you just have to keep turning up. I have also started to plan in things to look forward to as motivation to get work done. For example, this weekend my other half and I are going to hang out with some birds (owls, falcons etc.) as part of an experience voucher we received for Christmas. Can’t frickin wait. 🐦 Have an awesome rest of the week! Never give up on your dreams! ✨
Photo: No but seriously? Source: Tumblr.
