Exploration!

So, after sleeping a lot this weekend, I ventured into the city proper today to start getting my bearings. Durham is indeed quite small, and therefore difficult to get lost in, but also very hilly and winding, so it takes a little while to get to places. I'm about a twenty-five minute walk to the university and to the city center, which is bustling and full of shops but also rather cute and cobblestoned. I stumbled into a cinema and a tourist information center as well, so even if I somehow get lost, I have a map of the area to guide me now.

The weather has been gorgeous lately, and I hope it lingers. Low teens (in Celsius) and sunny. And no rain! Jeez, England, way to be deceptive about your weather. Wandering around today was a pleasure.


Anyway, this is me on top of Durham Cathedral, which is massive, and clearly I need to go back to the gym to be able to climb this tower without feeling like I'm dying. I did make it, though, so I'm not totally useless yet. Unfortunately, the view of the city itself is a bit obscured by the parapet here, but it's very pretty, to be sure.

It's also extremely windy. This is the one picture where my hair isn't all up in my face.

In other news, Durham University has accepted my deferral request, so I'm now officially starting in October! I'm going to have to make a nuisance of myself at Leeds to make sure that they grade my dissertation and send word that my degree is finished before then, but now I don't have to worry about paying council tax and other annoyances that come from not being a student. Also, I shall be delving into the university's employment databases. Bwaha. So I now have just one month of a breather, and then I'll officially be a PhD student. I'm looking forward to it!

Now, what was my research proposal again?