At last! Last Sunday evening I submitted the second chapter of my thesis (aka: Chapter-That-Is-Taking-Freaking-Forever-To-Write, or CTITFFTW)! I had been working on-and-off on this particular section of my PhD for a little over a year. And I am relieved and overjoyed to FINALLY have done with it! Well, until my supervisor reads it and then tells me everything that is wrong with it.
In case you were wondering, I DID celebrate the finishing of my chapter with some ice cream! Unfortunately, when I finally emailed it off to my supervisor that Sunday night, it was about 8pm, and Janetta's (the ice cream shop the zealous young gentleman from the previous post was so excited about visiting) was closed for the evening. So I had to make do with a pint of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream from the local grocery store. But you won't find me complaining! B&J hits the spot. Every time!
But in the meantime, while waiting to hear back from Roger (my supervisor), I have enjoyed a chapter-free week driving all over Scotland with my Dad! Dad had been in Moscow on business and stopped by for a few days on his way back home. Originally he was supposed to head back to Churchville at a ridiculously early hour on Saturday the 17th. But due to the eruptions of a volcano in Iceland on Wednesday of last week, a ginormous ash cloud is crippling transportation in Europe. All flights to and from the UK and Europe have been cancelled until further notice, as the ash makes it unsafe to fly! The particles get sucked into the plane engines where the heat from the turbines melts the sand and dust into glass, which in turn hardens and causes the engines to stop working. Not a good scenario. So hundreds of thousands of people are stranded at airports throughout Europe as tens of thousands of flights have been cancelled. Providentially, my housemates and I have a spare bedroom that Dad can use! On the flip side of all of this, a friend of mine from St Andrews (who also happens to be my pastor) is stranded in New York City, unable to get back home to Scotland!
I foresee an unusual week ahead, as the volcano is still spewing ash and doesn't show any signs of stopping in the near future! But we must make the best of the situation! I, for one, am enjoying having my dad around a bit longer than planned! And whoever thought we'd get to use 'volcanic ash' as an excuse for anything in Scotland?
Here's a link to some BBC photos of the volcano: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/8622055.stm
And if that doesn't work, just Google "Eyjafjallajokull Volcano". This thing has brought an entire continent to a stand-still! Crazy!
