post hole digging

Today marks the very end of the very first week of my life as a PhD student.

For those of you who weren't privy to the ball of stress that I was in the few weeks previous, or didn't know how ridiculous the process of getting enrolled was, I can share that in a minute. But for now, I just want to say that this is the first time in a while that I've felt productive and fulfilled, challenged and overwhelmed, and totally at peace with the joy of getting my nerd on. I love it! I know it's going to be a lot of work. Enough work to make me crazy. But I'm looking forward to it, and I'm looking forward to the windows and doors that will now be visible to me. What's more, I love the people I'm around every day, I love that I get to see my husband ALL THE TIME (no, really, he sits about 5 feet away from me), and I love that I get to think. All day. Everyday. Whether I can get my brain dust bunnies out or not.

My topic so far is about how plants change as they get onto islands. Or if they change. Or if they change in any sort of broad pattern. It goes back to Darwin arguing with himself for years and years before Wallace came up with the same ideas and pushed Darwin into publishing his Victorian-values-shattering theory on how species come to be. I'm learning a lot about Darwin, biogeography, plants, and theory after theory after theory. I have no idea what will happen or what nuggets of truth will emerge.

So, getting to this point was not easy- it all hinged on my permanent residency, or PR, coming through in time. I thought this wouldn't be a problem, but I ended up just barely making it. I literally rang up the department and begged them to let me know how to find out if I had a visa grant number yet, and thankfully I didn't get a total turd on the other end of the line. I was given my number, which I swiftly sent off to the appropriate gurus at uni, who then requested I come in early the next day to sign a form and that I bring hard proof of my PR ASAP. Needless to say, a lot of stuff going awfully wrong for a little while before was sort of made up for by a lot of stuff going remarkably smoothly and quickly just when it counted the most. I am ever so thankful for all those folks who bent the rules or put themselves out of their way on my account. <3 p="">