Are You Feeling Lucky, Punk?

It’s late and I’m probably way too inebriated and tired to be sitting at a computer punching this out. But I have a hunch that if I try and sum things up at a later date, it might not be quite as effective. I did my final PhD talk today and even though most of the day was spent at home stewing over what might go wrong, feeling giddy and fielding well wishers’ messages, this was more-than made-up-for by the events of later in the day.

I don’t think I realised anything especially new today, but I guess a lot of things I already knew became just a bit clearer and crystallised in my brain. I have the most extraordinary bunch of friends (still not sure what I did right in a past life to deserve them – thanks for coming along today, you gorgeous beings!) and despite our differences and numerous miscommunications, a great supervisor who, at the end of the day, is actually markedly less uptight than I am.

There are also moments in the heady world of science where you feel as though you’re actually reaping something good from what you’ve sown. And I get the same buzz from presenting results as I do when I’m giving a tute or demonstrating – it’s so nice to convey some information and for someone else to actually understand what you’re on about. It’s a phenomenon that never ceases to amaze me.

This is definitely one of those evenings where you sit back and contemplate how good things are (even though they might not usually seem that way) and I have a hunch that it might turn in to one of those nights where I have a hard time getting to sleep because I’m just so darn chuffed. Hence, if Clint were to pose the question of whether I’m feeling lucky, I’d answer with a resounding “Yesiree!”