this is the end beautiful friend

The relative quiet of recent times is in part a consequence of the final stages of dissertation writing. This process, that began nearly a year ago, came to an end on 3 February. At approximately 3pm on the aforementioned date two copies of this weighty tome were inelegantly posted through a submission letter box. After a resounding clunk  from the document hitting the floor beyond the piece of work was brought to a close.

It was a strange time and one of mixed emotions. To spend such a long time with a single piece of work inevitably builds up quite a strong connection. As a result the expected sense of relief that I had envisaged was distinctly missing. Instead I had a lingering feeling that something has been taken away from me. On reflection the whole process has been characterised by feelings of enjoyment. To have the opportunity to spend such time with something you love is indeed a privilege. It has also clarified many of my thoughts and laid the foundation for work to come in the future.

Still the end must be embraced and after a few days of mourning we are back into the swing of things. More deadlines loom on the horizon and there is plenty of work to. My desk is strewn with books and previous drafts of the dissertation. They offer one last moment to consider what has taken place and realise that i have managed to write 10,000 words (10,955 to be precise) without going insane.

It can only be hoped that the remaining 4 months of the degree go equally well