Applications

It's been a manic few days around here. I'm still in it just a bit. I was finishing up my teaching application so I decided to have a look on the academic job listing website to see what else was out there, only to find that there were two more PhD programs (funded) that were very similar to the one I have already applied to do, and the deadlines were this past Friday, and Monday respectively. Cue panic.

There isn't any guarantee obviously that I'm going to get the Birmingham PhD. One of two still means only a 50% chance (better than the original 20% chance, but still, one person is going to be disappointed in all this). So I was very excited to see that there were other opportunities to do basically the same thing, and still get the same stipend at other schools. In fact, to a certain degree, these new PhD programs seem at first glance even better tailored to me and my interests than the Birmingham one. So I'm nervous and hopeful and stuck waiting again.

My biggest fear now being that I get Birmingham and somehow will need to convey to them that I want to wait to hear about the other ones. Seems like it might be bad form. But lets not count the chickens until we've even seen the eggs!

This mad focus on applications has meant that my work slipped a bit towards the end of the week and I didn't get done what I had wanted to, and in fact didn't even work as many hours as I would have wanted to. It's not the end of the world, but it's hard to balance all of these things. I think long term security takes priority over short term cash, but cash is low, so it's important too. Oh... I'm sure it's all fine, I just don't like when I don't get done all of the things I'd like.

Heathrow was supposed to come with me tonight to a joint birthday party but he's canceled so this means I'll only see him at the rope event tomorrow and we'll get no real private time. Maybe beforehand, but maybe not. It's okay though. I don't mind a down weekend of having time to myself. And I do have this last application to finish. Still, it means I won't see him until next weekend... but then hopefully I'll see him all next weekend and that will of course be fun. We've gone sailing a few times now and it's been really enjoyable. It's a little bit scarier though out on the big reservoir as opposed to the tiny one. But at least I'm learning.

New flatmate is working out fine. It was a slower start I think, to feeling 'comfortable' with each other, but he's settling in and we're more chatty and easy with each other so it's all good. And he is very neat and tidy and he doesn't eat toilet paper. So really, that's generally pretty good. My only complaint so far is he forgets about the no shoes thing which I don't really understand as there is a shoe rack right by the door. But that's minor. Neatness counts a whole lot more.

Nothing else is coming to mind that I should record. Life is about applications and waiting just now. Not the most exciting.