Two blogs in one month – you’ve never seen a sale like this! Too cheesy? Like the previous blog, today’s is shorter due to work surrounding dissertation submission. Okay, let’s get started.
SONG INSPIRATION & FEATURED IMAGE
The second blog of this month has been inspired by Lauryn’s Hill’s cover of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”.
Ruins of an amphitheater located in Pompeii.
THE END OF GRADUATE SCHOOL
The last week of July heralds the last week to submit documents, complete outstanding tasks, and check all boxes that clear me for summer graduation. While I’m technically a graduate student (graduate research associate if I’m feeling bougie) for another 2 weeks, my graduation eligibility requirements are due at the end of this week. Then, it’s just a matter of time before my degree is conferred upon me AKA delivered in the mail. Given the clusterfuck that is 2020, I haven’t really had time to process the enormity of this achievement. It’s been back-to-back deadlines for the last 4 months. However, I’m going to take a few weeks off (beginning this week) to rest and recharge. I suspect true relief will wash over me once I submit my chapters for publication.
THE BEST LAID PLANS – FALL 2020
2020 is a year with plenty of flux to give. Moi, a pun? I know – things must be insane. And as a result, although I am not the least bit surprised, my plans to move to Japan have been delayed. Many countries continue to restrict entry, which is no surprise given the scale of the current pandemic. While I was prepared for a setback, my actual start date now hangs in the air. By all accounts, I’ll remain in the US through 2020. The situation for 2021 is less clear. There’s a lot of optimism surrounding 2021. However, I’m a realist. Although I’m hoping I can start work in spring 2021, there’s a real possibility of further delays through summer 2021. It’s just too early to know.
Okay, so what are the positives? A delay before moving to Japan has a few silver livings: publication, mental break, and hobby backlog. First, instead of struggling to publish my dissertation chapters while holding down a full-time job overseas, I now have the opportunity to submit them beforehand. At the very least I will have started the process before moving abroad. Secondly, I’ve been encouraged by many academics – including my advisor – to take a break, if possible, between graduate school and a new job. For some of my friends and colleagues, it took months –up to a year in some cases – to recover from graduate school. Unfortunately, in most circumstances one doesn’t have the luxury for that sort of break. Initially, I had a 3-week break between finishing grad school and hopping on a plane. However, Miss Rona has provided an opportunity to take additional time off which will give me a chance to decompress. My brain is fried. My motivation is gone. I am exhausted in every way, except physical. Thirdly, time for creative pursuits. In the past week alone, I’ve resumed working on my novel, started cleaning/organizing the apartment, studying Japanese at a higher level, and made a game plan for finishing up my current Lego project and planning the next. My creative energy has been terribly inconsistent this year given the demands of doctoral completion; however, I hope to use this extra time to harvest some much-needed inspiration.
Slowly I’m learning to be OK with having my life upended. I suppose it’s something many of us are dealing with – having our life plans altered by forces outside of our control. Eventually, I’ll accept that my 3 – 5-year plan might become a 4 – 6 or 5 – 7-year plan. In the meantime, I will tackle smaller goals and projects that bring me joy and improve my quality of life in the midst of all of this misery.
CURRENT SHOWS
Recently finished: 7 Seeds (part 1); Black Mirror (s1 – 5); Dark (s3); Marcella (s3)
Currently watching: 7 Seeds (part 2); Psycho Pass (s3); The Great (s1)
Thank you for reading! My next blog is scheduled for Thursday, August 27th. Until next time….
The Planetary Novelist 