Let's see, what of note is there to relate of the past two months? I opted for complete laziness during what remained of my break after my last post. I read a bit. Took long walks. Took time to visit with friends. But mostly I caught up on sleep and fed myself properly, two of the most neglected realms for anyone attempting to keep up with the pace here. I visited the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens, which were lovely, even in January, as you can see below. Loads of maze-like hedges and beautiful trees.
I also explored the Portrait Gallery, which had been closed for remodelling for, I think, over a year. There, I learned a few new facts about Scottish history, as one does. I highly recommend the glass plate prints of Glasgow back in the day, tucked away in a corner, up on the top floor. They are not only beautiful, but make you feel as though you're peeking into a time which you're not entirely supposed to see, and which is, in all fact, gone forever.
And then, semester number two commenced and I still managed to take the occasional day off those first few weeks, to ramble round and photograph this beautiful city-o, or to do the odd tourist thing, such as a tour of the Whiskey Experience.
The third bottle from the right is just my age
The pace has been steadily picking up, however, and it's back to the grind now. My grades for last semester came out the middle of February, and I'm happy to say that I did well and generally better than I had anticipated (though, to be honest, I hadn't had a good idea of what exactly to expect). It can be quite exciting to be studying from within a new discipline, even one you're somewhat familiar with, such as this, but it can also leave the door open for possible misinterpretation or misunderstanding that doesn't do wonders for a grade. I'm happy to say that I made it through the first brush and learned what I think are valuable lessons to apply to the next round. Our new essay topics were released last week and, while it will be challenging, especially from a time perspective, I'm looking forward to my topics.
Today I sent out my choice of dissertation topic. Just a general idea at this stage, but it feels good to get the ball rolling on it. Classes will continue until the end of March, and then essay writing until the end of April. And sometime around the beginning of April, our dissertation supervisors will be assigned. I feel a bit like I'm jumping into a very deep pool, looking for the bottom, right now, a mix of being thrilled and nervous, and definitely looking forward to what I'll discover. Both about my topics and about myself. And at the end of this next bit, when April is on it's way out, my mother will come for a visit, a wee breather, and I will take a brief printing class, to let my mind play a bit.
This time, I'll not promise when I will post next. Clearly, my powers of prediction over my own actions have been less than accurate. So I'll just say, until next time! Be well, and don't hesitate to drop me a line, if you get the notion. I'm not the best at writing to people these days, but love to hear how people are doing, and promise one day to repay in kind.
