Fin.

Thus ends my first year of PhD stuff. I'm pretry sure I blinked and it was all over. This morning I saw posts from friends at my masters program talking about the final they administered and I cannot believe that it was a year ago I did the same. It's been quite the ride.

If I were to extract one thing from this year it would be as follows: make time for the rest of you. Sure, in your studies, your professors care about what kinds of knowledge goes in and comes out of your brain, but there are other parts of you- not just a brain on a stick. And sometimes that brain needs other stuff to do instead of contemplate theory or wrestle with the big issues. Read some fiction. Read some poetry, watch a movie, dance. Do something that keeps the rest of your body up to speed and content.

For me that's reading non-academic work on my commute. In a semester I've read 10 books, and the people at the library have begun to recognize me.

Now I make my way to my summer class and begin my dawn treck every morning to campus. At least the desert doesn't feel like puddles of sweat this time of day.