After three weeks of conference, workshop and seminars I have now returned to Copenhagen with no exact plans to leave any time soon. A scary thought. But despite my elaborate plans to get going on real work, that is serious writing on my thesis and preparing for a talk on Tuesday, I woke up this morning totally burned out, with a major headache; this made me realize that perhaps I should do what other people do once in a while: take the weekend off. After taking a little blue pill that would magically make my migraine disappear, I rearranged my plans of the gym, shopping, writing and going to the movies into relaxing, shopping, light reading and staying in at night. I had briefly forgotten that a side effect of the blue pill is sleepiness, so my new plans got slightly modified to sleeping, grocery shopping, reading and catching up with some of my email.
My past weeks have been fantastically fun, rewarding, exciting, inspiring, essential for my career and a little too social. And that says a lot when it is the most social girl in the world talking! The last week was especially heavy on interaction because the seminar was scheduled until 9pm almost every night and alone-time was limited to an hour each afternoon. I did well though, participating in the whole series of lectures and it was only the last evening where my head suffered alcohol injuries. The next morning that made me proclaim that I would not go out drinking anymore, before I turn in my thesis. I had several witnesses of senior research staff kind, who all laughed, but I was serious; I don't say I won't have a glass of red wine with good friends, but the numerous cosmos and drambuie (what was I thinking?), no way.
Despite the heaviness of socialization these past weeks, I also got a lot of academic input. I had an excellent review and discussion of my thesis research, which I didn't just enjoy, it made me think that it is possible. It is reasonable for me to think that I can write this thing, describe an actual contribution to my field and submit about 150 pages on the subject. As a friend of mine said last week: it will be tough, but it will be done. I am trying to structure my days differently, attempting to work at home a little more, because the social person that I am, I cannot keep my mouth shot for more than half an hour when there are people around me. We will see if I die of boredom.
Finally I have to admit that one of the best part of these social weeks was in fact the chance that I got to have a girly night with one of my girlfriends; we spend the whole evening drinking cosmos, eating candy and talking about guys, research, sex and more guys. It is so good to be back in Copenhagen among girlfriends that you can tell anything, and get a straight answer to life's big questions.
Posted by Louise at May 15, 2004 08:01 PM