Monday 29 September 2014

New Term, New Year

This is a bit of a "new things" year for me... Since August I have
  • Got a new job, with better hours for studying
  • Moved to be nearer to New Job
  • Given my first paper
  • Organised a panel for the IMC
  • Started reconnecting with old friends who I'd lost contact with for "Reasons"
In all it's a bit of a mixed bag:

New Job is awesome, fun and is no longer breaking my autistic brain. I'm once again working "back office", and although some of it is a stiff learning curve, I'm happy here.

Moving is a good-bad thing. On the positive side, I'm near work and I can walk home in under an hour; I'm close to family again so I can see small people grow up. On the other side, TGO is still Up North; our house is unsellable at present so he'll remain there for quite a while and I miss him LOADS, with the added effect of not earning enough to travel to see him more than once a month...

First paper went OK, I think. People were nice and asked questions too, which was a big "Yay!" moment.

Organising a panel has taught me lots of things, especially that getting a moderator is not as easy as it seems!

Reconnecting with friends has been frightening ("what if they don't like me now, what if I/we have changed?"), but ultimately very worth it.

This year I can see forwards too:
  • Upgrade panel in March
  • Planning on giving a paper at Borderlines in Belfast
  • If accepted, giving a paper at the IMC in July
I got very isolated last year, so this year I'm making an effort to go up during Freshers Week and meeting people in the Medieval-Early Modern forum and the Postgrad / Mature Students association too. 

Onwards!