Dreams, This and That

My dreams have been quite vivid lately. Early last week I dreamed that I was being shown around a McDonalds for a job there, and once they had concluded the tour of the (spotless) kitchen and food preparation area they proceeded to tell me that I couldn't have the job because I was wearing a t-shirt with the Kelloggs Corn Flakes rooster on it.

A few days later I dreamed that I met a beautiful woman at a party, and that we exchanged numbers at her suggestion that we should go out some time soon (I think the woman was Lena Headey, I've lately been watching the Terminator TV series which she stars in). Just as she was about to hand me her number she stopped and said, "There's something you should know: I have a son who is three and a half years old, and he has Downs syndrome." That's when I woke up, something jarring my subconscious to say, "You're dreaming."

Seriously, what's that all about?

Finishing my thesis is a great weight off my shoulders, and now am trying to figure out my approach to what I have to do next: write some papers, apply for some jobs, prepare for my viva and figure out when I'm going to take some proper down time.

Have about 90 things in my list of 101 things; depending on whether or not I visit my nan in the hospital this evening (I've been this afternoon, she is very poorly and my mum and aunt have been with her all day) I'm going to start sorting through them, grouping them together. One of the biggest sections by far is related to writing - I love to write, but very rarely do I push myself to actually get it done. I'm narrowing down possible names for the blog that I'm going to record the 101 stuff in (didn't want to clutter this one up - I'm not leaving writing here either).

Finally today I leave you with two interesting little things that I came across in the last few weeks. The first is an entry over at Superhero Sewing Circle, showing a re-dubbed part of an episode of Captain Planet (remember: the power is... yours!) that I thought was too funny not to share. The second is a page where you can read the first issue of a recently started comic, Gutsville. The concept is delicious: a community of people living in the belly of a beast (like Jonah's great fish), stranded inside for over 150 years and evolving their own kind of society. The artwork is a little grisly in places, and there's the occasional swear word, but if you're inclined to try new things then give it a read - the final page is a real jawdropper, rich with possibility.

More soon.

Submission

I submitted my thesis yesterday.

After a week spent basically correcting it, and then a day spent correcting the typesetting program that insisted the margins of the pages should do something completely nonsensical, it was a great relief when I finally bound my three copies yesterday afternoon and went over to the Foundation Building to hand them in.

It was, however, an anti-climax to have the member of staff receiving them greet my enthusiastic "I'm here to submit my PhD thesis!" with a disinterested "Do you have the right form?"

Still, the relief of getting it in (and slightly ahead of the deadline I gave myself) is great - although it's only really starting to sink in. I don't have any big celebratory plans over the weekend; my family and I were talking about going out for a meal, but it seems that there isn't a time over the weekend when all four of us are free. If they're all busy tomorrow afternoon I might go to the theatre actually, there's a production of Romeo and Juliet at the Playhouse that might be good. I also want to go and see Samuel Beckett's End Game which starts at the Everyman today...

I've not been to the theatre in a while, but seeing another Met in HD opera on Saturday has really put me in the mood. Now, if only I can persuade someone to go and see La Fille du Régiment...

More very soon, and from next week (probably) I'll be updating a new blog as well, chronicling my efforts to do 101 Things in 1001 Days...