I’ve been feeling with August loneliness I’ve noted before in the PhD program, but not as acutely as in some previous years. Certainly having the chance to visit Andrea and Mehrzad in Ottawa contributes to that, as does a general sense of progress with PhD research and even of an identifiable end to the doctorate.
Tomorrow through Thursday I have the dissertation boot camp. Then it’s really just another week before committee members will be accessible again, teaching obligations will resume, and there will hopefully be opportunities to meet some new people.
After many years in the Toad Lane vegan co-op, my friend Tristan is moving to Waterloo for a job. For me, his presence in Toronto has been one of its defining features, alongside that of many of my father’s family members. It’s the end of an era that stretches back before the start of my PhD or my move from Ottawa, and even my 25th birthday. I hope the new job will suit him well. Toronto will certainly be poorer in his absence, and it reduces the odds I will stay here once my doctorate is complete.
