Madness ensues!

So right now I am sat here with some form of bug, feeling sick, burning eyes, and attempting to work. I have read the paper I am reviewing and need to do some more perhaps later at home. However, I am also trying to organize (read 'smash head against wall') a job in Bochum. It would be the perfect job. Good location, and good standard of living.

 

However, I am no more info on the contract. I need to know the pay, the tax breaks, and most importantly the relocation costs they cover. I had that covered when I moved from Manchester to Leamington Spa. Not that far, but still you need to cover costs like deposits and and so forth. Moving to Bochum, Germany must surely mean I have some, if not more costs covered? Well I am still in the dark on that one. Hopefully it will be sorted out soon, as in the end of the week, as I am meant to be going over there on the 10th to have a interview/informal meeting. I am pretty much the best candidate for the position and so I should be getting this easy.

 

Worst case. Borrowing money of family. But if I am being paid more over there then I can pay back people like my mother-in-law (she is just awesome) and my sister, quicker.

Essex

So last Friday I was down in Essex. It was for an interview with Prof Chris Reynolds at the University of Essex in Colchester. The journey down was quick and around midday I had arrived at the uni. I had lunch bought for me and an informal chat with Reynolds. Then I had to pass an hour when the other interview candidate of the day arrived. Lets just say I wasn't that impressed by him (I was in a suit he wasn't). We then had our presentations that lasted for 15 mins each (well they should of, the other guys one last I'm sure for another 10 mins and was very boring and not that relevant to Reynolds own work). I had my interview first and I think I came across confident, flexible and creative, along with being hard working etc. Colchester, what I saw of it, isn't that bad and really if I had to move down that way it's not that big a deal.

Leaving Colchester and getting back to Manchester was a nightmare and took far too long.

So that's one interview to hear back from. I have made it to the long list of the Warwick postdoc, waiting to hear back from a consultancy job in Surrey, a credit analyst/programing/forcasting job in Halifax, and I have a telephone interview tomorrow morning for a cheminformatic post with Unilever. Oh and there is still the Manchester funding to wait for.

Oh and today it is now 3 months until the wedding. Yay!

Another Small update

Well things are going on well. Paper number 3 is almost finished, 4 is started, 5 has almost got all the data it needs. My thesis is maybe 40% complete and will soon bulk out with my papers in due course. Job wise I've applied to a number of postdoc positions around the country while we hope (it's not being too hopeful though) that the funding will be allocated for a postdoc here letting me stay on for another year and help get the code ready for use in a simulation package.

On the home front myself and Sam have celebrated being together for 18 months. It's amazing how quick it goes by. Maybe it's just because I've had this damn PhD deadline creeping up on me. With the wedding on the horizon I'll be very happy to have this thesis out of the way and be happy to relax once more with my bride to be, especially after keeping me sane through this period of madness. Honestly I don't think I would feel as happy as I am right now at this point in my life with out Sam there keep me from going loony!

Possibly the quote that sums myself and Sam up.

There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900),


Now for one last thing....