The Wind Down.

Ugh - my first post-dissertation gift to myself was a drink. Every part of me was just wanting to have a glass of wine or cider or anything. I then found myself in Yates's Wine Bar like "Well.... it's cheaper to get a whole bottle of wine than two ciders so.... I may as well get a whole bottle of wine? It makes sense? Yes. I will do this"

I'd not really had any alcohol over the past three months so it felt like an amazing wind down.

Do I think my dissertation is perfect? No - I'm not sure if it's even good. All I care about is that it's in and I'd done a phenomenal amount of reading and research and I have shown myself that I can do this.The first thing I wanted to do after finishing was to return home and start working on one of my novels. I've spent the past few months writing, but not creatively. The creative section of my mind feels utterly starved.
Today was a crazed rush of darting about and printing things off, editing, moving to various floors of the library. Thankfully it's in. I don't even really mind what grade it gets at this stage. I just want a degree so I can move onto a job and.... continue questioning the meaning of my existence.

I'm looking forward to using this blog for things that, you know, aren't therapeutic mind dumps when I'm in a dissertation related stress. Time to get down to my "To Read List" and start reading for personal pleasure again. Soon I'm aiming to post a review of John Green's "Looking For Alaska" which I've been reading during free moments from university. I'm looking forward to sitting down to read it without thinking "This was fun, but I have to return to something more academic"

p.s I also bought myself Season 2 of Game of Thrones as a post-dissertation present. This is post dissertation present one of two. The wine, it seems, was just an extra perk.

I'm looking forward to spending the weekend with my family, unwinding and surrounded by cats and a dog that often thinks he's a cat.

Also sure - I've still got to finish a conference paper and a portfolio of work + a commentary - but that's nothing.
It's like... a quarter of a dissertation. Easy peasy.