I defended my phd late in June. Got the patent process rollin', so now the waiting game begins. Dunno what to do with the rest of my life, but I'm taking the rest of the year off if possible. From mental health to just plain figuring stuff out, it'll be a good thing to do.
Congrats Devac! <3 I really needed a long break after my defense/leaving the lab, and it took me about 3-4 months to feel normal again. I hope it doesn't take you that long, but a break is always great! You are most welcome to visit me in Frankfurt if you need a change of scenery :) Currently in Poland (again), writing this from a coffee place in Krakow!
Congrats on successfully defending your PhD!
A little over a decade ago a good friend of mine took his own life. It set off a wild train of depression and hurt in me as no early teenager is equipped to deal with that shit. I didn't get any support and suicide was a real option. I'm doing a lot better now, but it's left its scars on me. I'm overall a much better and happier person and I truly like who I am now, but it's also become clearly apparent that I still have plenty to deal with when it comes to interpersonal relationships. So I'm going back to therapy for the first time in years. The first time was a disaster, a combination of bad mental state, bad therapist, and not knowing why I was going. I am hoping this time goes better.
Thank you for your courageous vulnerability about seeking therapy. I know hubski is a fairly progressive place, and we tend to talk about mental health in positive ways around here... but I really wanted to specifically celebrate you talking about it here. Many of us have struggles, understand (academically) the importance of healthy choices to work through things... and still don't seek help or even talk about it (mostly pointing a finger at me). So thank you for being vulnerable. Thank you for reminding me to pause and assess. I see you, and I appreciate you.
Spent the weekend in a lovely little cabin on a river, near Leavenworth, WA, with my wife and dog, to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary. The river was very high and the sound was amazing ... filled the area and the house with the soothing sound of water. We went hiking, went into Leavenworth a couple of times, had dinner with @ball00n@ and his wife, went to the distillery and got some bourbon and gin (the Ghost Gin#6). The bourbon is lovely and warm, but the gin is REALLY something special! First off, it is aged. Second, it has the most wonderful combination of floral and herbal that are right up front and fill your nose and mouth with amazing complexity and fun!! Love this stuff. We picked up some cured meats, pickles, mustard, and cheeses in Leavenworth and spent time walking the trails along the river with our dog, Moxie. The weather was about 78 degrees with a nice mountain breeze, so it was the perfect warmth, and all the pine trees were giving off their lovely warm scent in the sun... it could not have been better!! (There weren't many people there, since the previous weekend was 4th of July, and was super busy... most people don't travel the NEXT week after the 4th, so we had no problem with finding places to park, walk, eat, etc.) We stayed over until Monday, and I worked from their fast wifi in the cabin, then we took a leisurely drive back home. It was perfect. Now to go buy a new lawnmower.
Hey Hubski! haven't dropped-in in a while, how is everyone? I also noticed I passed my 3000 day on hubski... It feels weird, because the way I feel right now is similar to how I felt when I joined Hubski. I was just finished with my Masters, energized, excited, maybe a little naive. And only now, after about 7 years, I feel similar again (maybe a little less naive :D). It's been 3 months since I moved to Frankfurt and my life did a 180 turn. I LOVE going to work. I LOVE my colleagues. It is so refreshing to work with PIs (I have two) that care about my future and career. I have regained my interest in pursuing science, specially in combination with my personal interests. Currently going through a bit of a turbulent summer. Everything that got postponed due to covid is happening at once. I am writing this from Kraków, Poland. The last few days I was in Paris for the largest European neuroscience conference, FENS. Next week I am heading to Boom festival for some psytrance, sunshine and lovely people. Things are hectic and not always easy (I am still putting together the paper from my PhD) but it is moving forward.
I'm feeling...manic? I think is a the most appropriate term. Kind of checked out of work right now with it finally being summer and just wanting to do everything else that involves being outdoors. Climbed one of the volcanos this past Friday & Saturday, then climbing splitter granite on Sunday and a Bumble date after that, Monday went to a concert, Tuesday trail run club, tonight going an hour after work to rock climb, tomorrow more rock climbing, Friday night I have a date with girl from past Sunday, Saturday & Sunday big overnight climb. I think I'm both just wanting to meet a bunch of new people, go on dates, and stave off some loneliness. Rinse and repeat next week I guess?
Melbourne is cold and damp and grey - just how I like it. But it's been 3.5 years since I last went overseas, so next week we're off to the States, to NYC and then Detroit, where my brother in law is getting married. We're probably looking at Chicago (a city I truly love, by the way) for a few days after that, then driving back to NYC via Pittsburgh, which I've heard good things about but never visited. Hit me up with recommendations for sites we should be visiting along the way.
We finally realized a long-term dream and bought an espresso machine! It just came in this weekend and I spent most of Sunday wired on caffeine from trying it out. I am very surprised at how fast the thing heats up - that's probably the most unexpected thing about it. I think my shots are underextracted but am excited to practice and keep dialing them in. It's so nice to have stuff we normally have to go to a coffee shop for in the comfort of our own home.
I strained my back yesterday and had to DNS a race today I'd been looking forward to. But I got most of my records moved into my house and have my hifi set up. I ordered a lawn mower and will pick it up tomorrow. My back is feeling better this evening. Being off on a weekday I'm going to try to get a swim in at Devil's Lake in the morning as long as my back keeps feeling better.