Missed another blogiversary

As I sat in this pile of books and popcorn, the procrastinatory part of my brain suddenly asked, "Didn't you start blogging sometime in mid-January?" I checked the archives, and there it was: my blogiversary was last Thursday! I've now been blogging for four years.

(It seems a little to apt that I wrote a post about my underwear on my actual blogiversary.)

And so I'll celebrate it a little less than a week late. Would you expect any less from your Procrastination Queen (West)?

It's been four years and 1275 posts. When I began, I was a second-year MA student, sitting at this desk and trying to make myself write anything. Now I'm a fourth-year PhD student, sitting at this same desk, still trying to get myself to write. Since then, I've finished an MA thesis, gotten married, moved out here, gotten through coursework and comps, and have laid down some roots out here on this crazy island. I'm still trying to learn German, I'm still drinking tea, and I'm still wandering the house in this same pair of rubber-soled slippers. And yet sometimes I hardly recognise the person I was four years ago.

You know, this blog has been a real blessing for me. You all have kept me going through these isolated years of grad school. I've met so many interesting people who are going through exactly what I am going through, and who have taught me how to stay sane and get some work done.

I shouldn't write too much more right now; I'd better make supper and try to make some sense of this article sitting beside me.

In other news: it's about time that I started taking part in Schmutzie's Grace in Small Things challenge (Tagline: "Wage a battle against embitterment"). (Some of you may be familiar with this challenge thanks to Bronwyn's posts.) For the next 365 days, I'm going to try to find a reason to be thankful every day. I think this will really help me keep perspective through what might be a stressful year. (If all goes according to plan, I should be finishing up just around when I'm finishing my research trip to Germany.) I'll start this in the next post.