12 of 12 - September 2009

I always mean to do 12 of 12 and never get round to it. But I thought this month's might be interesting, as it was the last day of a month long archaeology project in Crete, and the day I was travelling home. It also took a little longer for me to get around to posting it as I was waiting for a photo to be emailed to me.

As always, credit to Chad Darnell.

7.30 am (Cretan time). Owls in the tree outside the Stratigraphical museum, where we work. As its a saturday, we work a half day (7.30-12.30), but I am leaving at 11 to get to the airport for my half 1 flight home.

8am (Cretan time). The aim of the project is to see how the landscape has been used over millennia, so as such any material found is recorded. That includes the many many beer cans we find!

8.30 am (Cretan time) Sorting pottery sherds is the main business of the days, though

8.30am (Cretan time). We work in a courtyard, with cover from the sunshine (and, for the last few days, the rain too)

10am (Cretan time). It turns out I have mad data input skills, so in the last week I am often called on to input all the data.

11 am (Cretan time). Ok, this is cheating a little as I didn't take this photo, but shortly before I leave we have a group prject photo taken. That's Hadrian behind us - this area has a wealth of history, including Neolithic, Minoan, Hellenistic, Roman....

12pm (Cretan time). At Herakion airport, waiting for my flight


12.30 pm (Cretan time). My check in desk

3pm (GMT). Photo from the plane window - that's England, that is!

5pm (GMT). I was very lucky that my parents offered to pick me up from Gatwick airport, saving me a 5 hour coach journey. Bless them! This is somewhere near Oxford, I think.

7pm (GMT). I should probably just burn all the contents of my suitcase, rather than try and wash them

8.30 pm (GMT). What I have been dreaming about for 4 weeks - a hot bath! It was worth coming home for!

Stuck in limbo

That's how I feel right now. Like I am waiting for something to happen. Basically, I am waiting for my life to start. I am waiting to be a grown up.

Right now, I feel like an unanchored child. I live with my parents. I have no job. I have no partner. None of these things are necessarily bad, but added together, I just feel a bit like I am floundering at the moment.

One major issue is the amount of energy that has to be spent in trying to get some kind of job out of my PhD, when, deep down, I don't even know if I care that much about archaeology, or Minoans. The major problem with this is, however, I don't know what I am passionate about anymore. I enjoyed my PhD - I enjoy reading new stuff, researching, trying out new theories and ideas, putting the pieces together. I love that. But whether I care about Minoan archaeology, or if this was just one area which I could apply these ideas and skills to... well, that's what I need to find out. It was an area that allowed me to exercise these skills, not an area that within itself was my passion. At least, that's how I feel right now. Will I feel like this in a few weeks, who knows? All I know right now is that I am feeling unmotivated and uninspired. I am going to Crete for 4 weeks to spend some time working with pottery. To be entirely honest, I am not really looking forward to it. I think this speaks for my current apathy towards the subject area.

Another thing that is getting me down is living at home. Don't get me wrong, my parents are wonderful, and the people in the world I love the most. But I am 31. And I want my own space. But I can't afford it at the moment. I have no income. Hence looking for jobs in archaeology, as that is at least one area where I have some degree of experience.

Anyway, this is turning into a major mope-fest. Apologies. I just want something to happen, that picks me up, and moves me on to the next stage in my life.

You can chase right up and touch the sky...

The weather has been so good lately! The kind that makes you want to wear floral dresses and ride bicycles with baskets through meadows of flowers, before having a picnic with a gentleman in a bowter, and then perhaps going for a punt.

I have had a lovely weekend. Film and pizza on friday. Country park and picnic and pub and dinner on saturday. BBQ in the back garden today, where my salad and cake were praised by all. Nothing too strenous or crazy, just good food, good company, good friends.

Now I am lying on my bed writing this. My legs ache pleasantly. Soon I may have another slice of cake and watch a DVD. Or maybe read a book, who knows.

The crazy stresses of life will start again tomorrow, but right now, at this moment, I am content.

Everything that rises must converge

I just like that title. And Flannery O'Connor.


I am currently sitting up in bed with a hotwater battle jammed between my shoulder and neck and held in place by a mountain of pillows. Silly me seems to have ripped a muscle in my neck somehow. I think I did it in my sleep. That's how much of a twat I am at times. It doesn't hurt. Unless I move. Then it really hurts. So I am sitting very very still. And doping myself up on ibuprofen.


I have just got back from Greece. Which was exhausting and a bit trying but overall good. 5 cities in 10 days is not ideal, but I did get to see my old friend Christina who I miss a lot. And do some important archaeological site-seeing. And ate a lot of ice cream. The main issue is that everyone in Greece smokes like a chimney. I am afraid to say I one of those annoying people who used to smoke, then stopped, and now goes on about how gross it is. Which is slightly hypocritical, as I never cared when blowing smoke in someone's face when I was younger. But since the smoking ban in the UK I have become really sensitive to cigarette smoke - it gives me a headache and my breathing gets all screwed. As a result I found myself sampling the globalised delights of Starbucks a lot, as that is the only place I found where you can't smoke. Still, they do much better cinnamon buns in Greek Starbucks than English, so that's ok.

This is Sparta

Nafplio - view from the Venetian fortress

The walls of Tiryns. These things are interesting if you are a colossal geek like myself.

Mycenae


Thessaloniki

Update in progress

Goood golly gee, two whole months have passed since I last updated this here blog. Last post was obviously somewhat of a downer. I am ok, really. Break-ups are never any fun, even when both parties agree and part with mutual love and understanding, but I am doing fine and so is he and we still chat sometimes. In fact, this whole adult break up thing is a bit weird - it's an unusual feeling on my part not to loathe someone post break up! I think that speaks of the calibre of some former paramours...Let's move on!

Life as a post-PhD continues to charge along at the speed of a continental drift. Just my luck to be searching for a job in this economy. Not that there was ever a superfluous of archaeology positions to begin with, but still...I had an interview last week for a one year research assistant position down in Norwich. I would have loved to get the job (looking at Neolithic Japanese figurines) but alas it was not to be. Not too surprising, as my research area isn't exactly what they were looking for, but just to get an interview to begin with is a good thing, and it's good experience for next time. Although I don't think I was too embarrassing in the interview (they praised my communication skills and sense of humour) there were definitely questions or moments which I would have handled differently if I could do it again. Oh well, it's a learning experience.

So in the meantime, I am keeping my head above water with a bit of marking and the like in the department, as well as editing and proofing work for friends. I have a conference-heavy April, but I am only speaking at one of them. Another one I am just attending to listen and see friends, and the other two I am being paid to work at. Oh yeah, one of them is in Sparta.... :)

After that....Erm, yeah. God knows.

In other news, I am somewhat emotional that Battlestar Galactica is ending next week. Yes, I am emoting over television. I don't care. At least I still get my weekly Tahmoh fix with Dollhouse, which I am continuing to watch in the hope it picks up. I fear this particular emperor has no clothes, though. I am looking for the perfect pair of fuck-me shoes, which I will never wear because I cannot walk in heels but I feel I need to own for the good of my soul. I have discovered the joys of french toast and maple syrup. I am still far too reliant on coffee. My sleeping habits and daily schedule are all out of whack now I no longer have a particular pattern to follow. I fear the day I get a real job and will have to start getting up at 7am again. But, on the other hand, I would have a job! Which would be, you know, good.

Truths of life

Just because a decision was mutual and for the best doesn't make it any less painful.

Dr Katy, I presume..?

Well, yes, in fact, yes I am.

I had my viva yesterday, and it went really really well! As soon as I got in they told me that my thesis was excellent, and that the viva was just a formality. So there was around an hour and a half of disucssion of my thesis and surrouding topic, all of which was illuminating, interesting and inspiring and almost, dare I say it, fun. After that, the internal examiner brought in a bottle of champagne and we sat around chatting for another hour and half, by which point my friends and family were beginning to freak as I had now been in the room for 3 hours and they were getting concerned...Apparently my mum hit the whiskey around 5! Anyway, I only have some minor typos to fix and one bit where I need to clarify a date, so it's all very good and now I am officially a doctor!!

In the evening, my familia and I went to a swanky restuarant for a very lovely (and expensive!) dinner. My mum had rang the restaurant earlier to ask if they could do something special, so after we retired to the lounge area for coffee, they brought out another dessert for me (there can never be too many desserts in my world) with Congratulations written around the plate in melted chocolate. Yum! And today, it is half past 2 in the afternoon and I have yet to get dressed or indeed leave the confines of my bedroom. Which, I think, is as it should be!