March 2024
S M T W T F S
« Mar    
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31  

The Sunday Salon: Free Time!

tssbadge1I have had a great weekend for several reasons.  The foremost and best reason is that my Certificate of Approval from the British government has arrived, meaning that my American self can now marry my British fiance with no trouble whatsoever.  All I have left to do is make us an appointment on Monday, send off a cheque, and show up to the wedding.  Oh, and buy wedding rings, but that is the fun part of the process!  My parents can buy their plane tickets and book their hotel, so everything will be all set by next weekend.  After almost six weeks of worrying when this little bit of paper is going to show up, or whether it even would be approved, I can finally breathe, relax, and look forward to October 17th!

Secondly, my dissertation draft is in to my supervisor and I don’t have to touch it until after our meeting tomorrow.  I’m guessing that he will have a lot of revision suggestions, but on the bright side, I have less than two weeks left of working time on it.  It is not going to be perfect and probably won’t get me a first, but at this stage I have worked very hard on it and it is ready to be completed.  I can see how much I’ve improved since my BA thesis was completed and that in itself makes me very happy regardless of what result I end up with.  This is the first weekend I’ve had since this whole thing started without it hanging over my head to some extent.  I have taken weekends off, but I always knew that I shouldn’t have.  Now I am guilt-free!

Lastly, this thing called guiltless free time, plus the fact that I have to be on my own in York to finish up, means that I have been reading a ton of books this weekend.  It’s almost like my own mini read-a-thon, except I let myself sleep and take more breaks than I would have otherwise done.  I’ve finished four books since Friday night and I’m reading a fifth.  Two books came yesterday but I still feel like I’m making a little dent in my TBR pile.  This will be nice to remember over the next two weeks.  I’m also trying to write all of my outstanding reviews – I have eight to go! – before tomorrow, but I’m not sure that is going to happen.

Oh, I should also mention that I hit 200 books this week!  I have now upped my yearlong goal to 250, which I think will be doable between the time when I finish school and when I can apply for jobs after the wedding.

Today, I’m reading Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris, book four in the Sookie Stackhouse series.  I’m glad that the Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge, hosted by Beth Fish Reads, is pushing me to continue this series because I’m really enjoying it.  I’ve gone for a total change of pace after Catching Fire, which I read yesterday, because I don’t want anything that could be compared.  It would suffer too much!  I think urban fantasy fits the bill, though.  I think next up will be The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers by Angie Fox and then It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas.  Can you tell that I don’t want to think much right now?

What are you reading this weekend?

Share

18 comments to The Sunday Salon: Free Time!

  • Congratulations, Meghan! I’m very happy for you :D And good luck with the rest of the work you have to do on your dissertation – not much longer to go!

    Also, 200 books already! That’s awesome :D

  • I’m doing a little happy dance on your behalf, I’m SO happy for you that the whole immigration thing is going smoothly now. At the same time as not having to work on your dissertation? Bliss. Enjoy the rest of your reading!

  • As you know, I’m so thrilled for your papers and go-ahead on the wedding. And I’m sure tomorrow will go just fine. What a relief to have that behind you.

    And I’m always happy to push books and even happier when people enjoy them! Go Sookie!

    I bet you anything you get to 250. Maybe next year I’ll go for 150. Now, if I count manuscripts I read for work, then I’d have more impressive numbers.

  • Congratulations! What a relief! October is a great month to get married, Meghan. It worked for me. LOL!

    Enjoy your free time. 200 books in 2009. Wow! I’ve read 200 books this week, too – but since January of 2007. LOL!!!

  • That’s a lot of good news, Meghan!

    I am in awe of your 200 books and new goal. I’m thinking about setting a 200 goal for next year. It’s a long shot for me, but the fun is all in the trying, right?

    I hope you’re having a great weekend!
    Lezlie

  • CONGRATULATIONS on so many fronts! October 17th will be here before you know it :)

    I am in awe that you have read so many books in one year. The fact that you have accomplished that goal while working on a dissertation and planning a wedding is truly amazing. I do believe you are Super Woman!

  • That is great news Meghan! Hopefully now you can relax a little bit and enjoy yourself before your wedding.

  • I knew the UK would be thrilled to have you! I’m excited for you and Keith! Enjoy getting ready for the wedding!

  • Yay! I’m so glad things worked out for you and you have some free time! :) Enjoy and savor!

  • What exciting news! I am impressed with your ambition to read 250 books this year. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

  • Congratulations, Meghan! How exciting. And as for your dissertation not being perfect–realistically, you could work on that thing forever, right? If you feel like it’s time to finish it, it’s time. :)

    I was feeling rather proud of myself for almost getting through Written on Your Skin in the last few days–hopefully I can finish it tonight so I don’t have it still unread on Monday. And I read The Monkey King by Wu Cheng-En.

  • How exciting, Meghan! I am glad it is all coming together for you. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. And what a relief it must be to have that dissertation in. You’ve got the hard part done. Revisions may be a pain, but they’ll go fairly quickly in comparison to the actual writing of it.

    I hope you enjoy you week. I was hoping to get in some reading today, but haven’t managed to do much of that as of yet. I guess it’s a good thing True Blood isn’t on tonight.

  • Fantastic news! I know waiting for the papers has been stressful … that’s one thing off your list.

    Enjoy your “down” time until the revisions to your dissertation come in :)

  • wow, really awesome news. Your weekend was really good :)
    congratulations on the arrival of COA and good luck with the wedding preparations.

  • Sounds like a wonderful weekend :) I remember waiting for the paperwork when my American self wanted to marry my British fiance! Hopefully everything will go smoothly from here..

  • Congratulations! I know you have been waiting for this for a long time!

  • YAY for you! What a great weekend. =)
    .-= Elizabeth´s last blog ..The Nonfiction Files =-.

  • I’m always amazed at how many books you read!

    October 17th is a day we are celebrating as well: it’s my youngest daughter’s first birthday!
    .-= Arleigh´s last blog ..calling all book bloggers: books for review (giveaway) =-.