When it rains it pours

Well no it hasn't been raining much in South East Qld but I have been doing a fair bit on the work front. I managed to pick up a bit of work in circulation this last week gone. It's been over 10 years since I worked in circulation at the Ipswich Library and Information Service so it was fun to catch up with the changes and realise how much I enjoy working in circulation if not just to chat with the customers and see what books everyone is reading. Bit by bit I am gaining that "big picture" view of my new (or old) workplace.

On a personal front, the last few weeks have been tough for us. My husband recently lost his job so you can imagine the extra stress this places on the family. I tried to pick up every available extra hour of work I could do and really didn't get much done with regard to finishing this research project off nor my presentation. Now uni is back (as of today) I'm guess I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with what's on my plate. This has not been the first rough patch we've been through since starting this research project - mid last year my husband was retrenched and we went through the same stresses. We've always believed that things will not be handed to us on a silver platter and we'll have to work hard to get where we want to go (I'm sure there are lots of other families out there in the same boat). But it does become a little hard to pull yourself out of the rut when with each step forward there's two steps back.

On top of this we have been blessed with a child that does not sleep all that much. A half hour nap during the day and very random sleep patterns at night. I think after 18mths I've become used to living on little sleep and sometimes amaze myself at what I can achieve in zombie mode. However, it has not made this journey any easier.

I thought I'd share this with you just to let others know the little things that can prop up when committing yourself to a research scholarship and how it all looks under control at the beginning does not mean that there will not be moments of chaos throughout. This is not to discourage those wishing to take on a research scholarship, but just adding a touch of reality to what sometimes appears to be smooth ride. There are times when I feel I should've said no to some of the things I've taken on board - however, the skills and experiences this scholarship has provided me can not be replaced and I never regret taking this on.