A Wintery Mix

Hiking in Howth in January.
A bit chilly, but no snow. 

Hike from Sutton - Howth. 

The transition back to an office and work and real life in January was a tough one for everyone it seems. While the excitement of New Years and new resolutions were abundant, the reality of days of short sunlight and chilly temps were among us. However, the temps and snow were nothing quite like Boston/New England - and by that I mean there was no snow at all. One day there were a few flurries and in some parts of the country, a dusting stuck. People described it as a blizzard; I had to hold my tongue! 

My life in Jan - Feb:
In coffee shops, on weekends,
writing away.

While January and February was a period filled with writing grant proposals and scholarship applications (or more accurately begging people - to write letters of recommendation, to fund me to do my work, etc. - you know little things), I can, after coming through the tunnel, see the value in that challenging process: I refined my own thoughts and direction of my research, learned a lot in the process of putting together my proposal, and now have lots of text and references, which I can mold and remold. And at least one direct benefit has come from it: I did get funding to continue on the PhD for the next two years! Such a relief. And I'm going to brag about my husband a bit here for a second, so grab the bucket if you need to: he received a Marie Curie grant for his research and an award for best presentation at a conference. He's kind of a big deal. :) We did both have some rejections along the way, too, in terms of grants/journal papers, so it's not all butterflies and rainbows, but let's just focus on the positives here, people! 

An exciting project I started,
connecting my research group
with the National Gallery
- a fine arts museum.

In this time, I also continued in my role as a supervisor/mentor of student-teachers, which I really enjoyed. And I initiated what I think is an exciting collaboration between my group, Bridge21, and the National Gallery. I'm aiming to conduct my research in cool spaces, like art museums, when possible. 

During this this period, I also made a decision to pursue one of my dreams/goals I've had for the last few years: enroll in a yoga teacher training program! Yoga is something that has become increasingly important in my life, and I just love. I'm excited to learn more about the practice in the process of doing the training, and end with the ability to share it with others.  Over the next 7 months, I'll be embarking on the quest. I'm hoping it will be a nice 'balance' to PhD.