I am really quite bad at keeping on top of these blog thingies. Even my proper blog is suffering.
Turns out that PhDs take up a fair bit of your time. Who knew.
I hope you're all well and excited for the festive season (if nowt else: time off work!).
Here's some photos from stuff that's happened since the last time I updated...
Sam and I were super cool and visited the Corrie set to celebrate me surviving my end-of-year oral exam in October. (Yep. That is The Rover's Return. Working in Manchester has its perks).
Waiting for Sam to come home on Halloween - the next day we had a fashionably late Halloween party with our friends: complete with home-made goodies, sing-a-longs to Halloween songs (including 'Actual Cannibal Shia LaBeouf') and, crucially, a group play-through of Five Nights at Freddy's... which was terrifying and I hate it and I will never be able to sleep again.
The week before my birthday (bah), I went to visit my best friend Robyn in Leeds where she's now working as a staff nurse (yay!). We were celebrating me passing the first year of my PhD (also yay!), Robyn having her name officially put on the register of nurses, and generally having a good old catch up. We also ended up meeting up with P for a drink (long-time readers might remember the epic 'on/off' & 'will-they-won't-they' dramas with P that lasted pretty much all of 2012) and then I had a horrendous reaction to my favourite cider and nearly went home in an ambulance... which made me even more glad that my best mate is a nurse, who very capably looked after me and waited until I felt better to thoroughly take the piss. I love that woman. (Fun fact: no one had told P what was wrong with me or why Robyn's attendance was urgently required, nor why loads of staff were going over to where I was looking grave. Apparently he thought something awful had happened and got worried until Robyn told him (1) I'd just had a bit too much to drink, and (2) I wanted him to leave (I cba with people when I'm poorly)).
Also, fun fact: that's the first time I've ever been worse-for-drink in a bar. Good milestone to get out of the way before the end of the first quarter-century, I suppose.
My birthday was a lot of fun. My family threw me a party. My step-mum kept introducing Sam as "the best boyfriend Roxy's ever had" and "the best lad she's ever brought home" - a sentiment my friends fervently agreed with. My Grandma also reluctantly admitted that she liked Sam. This is huge; she doesn't like anyone.
The best present I got (so far, at least - I'm getting a belated one from Sam on his next payday (eep!)) was this necklace from Robyn...
Otherwise, there's been a lot of hanging out with friends, decorating for Xmas, frantic Xmas shopping, and even more frantic bouts of working.
I've started writing my first academic article for publication (I am terrified) and next week I have to give a presentation to the dept.... and I haven't even emailed the organiser a title yet. All of the eek. Next year: Be More Organised!
...And also work on completing my ridiculous Birthday List (more eek).
Hope all is well with you lot! <3