talking makes everything better

I've long accepted that fact that a good cup of tea makes everything better. But today my education continued when I fully understood how talking can also make everything seem and feel so much better. I've had a rough few weeks and after a particularly frustrating, non-work day yesterday (because I went to London to apply for a Schengen visa) I woke up this morning feeling rather tender. The morning itself was filled with a range of little administrative tasks that I just needed to do. The writing task I started on Sunday, and that had to be put on hold because of my trip to London, sat waiting for me on my desk - but it loomed even larger in my head where it had been stewing since I was force to set it aside.

Amidst all of this angst I just decided to call a dear friend in Cape Town. I rarely talk to her about my academic related 'stuff' but today I gave a broad overview of my perception of the academic challenges I'm currently facing. But mostly we talked about real life, my return to Cape Town, having drinks at the Radisson at the Waterfront in summer and being older and wise enough to know that even the shitty periods in one's life will actually pass. Then I had a short coffee break with a friend and colleague of mine who is preparing for her viva. We spoke about the viva process, talking English in England, living in Milton Keynes and then moving to a 'proper' English city, our perceptions of ourself during the PhD process which often tends to be more negative than the perception other people have of us. I also had a conversation with another colleague, but this time about the Mad Men series 5 and our impressions of Don, the main character, and the strategies she was employing to bring on the birth of her baby which was due in a few days time.

After all of this I managed to put in a fairly productive day of writing - making some sense of the complexity of film education. I also managed to completely pack 1 box and I started to pack another. Seems I am moving back to Cape Town. Talking...the next best thing since sliced bread! (in my world anyway).