Post-PhD life

I have spent almost the entire week without having to worry about getting my thesis in. So what is life like without the thesis hanging over my head like a sword of Damocles?

On the first day (Thursday), I felt tired as hell. This might have been related to the drinking I did throughout the day.

I was feeling much more energised on Friday to Sunday but that may have been due to the exponentially higher number of hours sleep I was getting - no more stress-induced insomnia!!! Yay!!!

On Monday I had to wake up at as normal again to get to work. It was okay - mindless tech-work in Zoology, going through the lab maintenance and reagent ordering. Then I went home and asked Pooey what day it was because I was already losing track of what day it was.

Tuesday I was required to cut 8 frozen lungs in less than 7 hours. Then I went home and asked Pooey what day it was again.

Back to Zoology where I practiced sectioning and staining embryos. At one point during my time in the lab, one of the students came in and said, "What are you still doing here? Stop working so hard! The last tech here didn't work that hard - be like him!" I was so absorbed in my work that I realised I was working more than my allocated time!!! Shocker. In fact, I was working myself so hard, I turned up late to a FREE barbecue!!!

Today, I was in Zoology again writing them a Standard Operating Manual from scratch now that I'd revised how to used the machines and their staining protocol the day before. I was googling various recipes but reached the end of my allocated time in the lab. I thought to myself as I was packing up, *No worries, I'll just write it when I'm at home.* And then I stopped myself short and realised that, no, although they are paying me to do this, they don't pay me THAT much and I'm not obliged to continue doing my work work as home work!

And then I was slightly appalled that I was so used to working so hard that I was voluntarily making myself work hard. I need to re-learn how to relax!