Cut Adrift

I went to my graduation ceremony in the last week of June. I can now officially call myself Dr Autumn Song, and am slowly but steadily changing information so that my mail comes addressed to Dr Song. Hurray!

Graduation day was lovely, the ceremony wasn't too long, and several of my PhD peers graduated at the same time. I was a little disappointed that most of them didn't hang around for very long, though; I wanted some group photos! (If any of you are reading this - you know who you are - consider yourselves told off...) I can't blame them too much though - the department did forget to let us know that they were having a party for their graduates...

So, I have now officially left the university in the Beautiful Scottish City that I Miss. I am still, of course, emotionally attached to it. I have friends who still live around the uni, and of course, friends and former colleagues in the department. But officially, I have no reason to be there. And just to make sure I know it, my network username has been deleted; my email access has been cut off. I remember asking about this some time ago, and I was sent an email telling me I would be given notice before this happened. I wasn't. And I can't prove that I was told that, because I can't get into my emails. Clever, eh?

As of July 1st, I am also unemployed. My contract at the university in the City where the Castle is also a Prison ended at the end of June. Fortunately, my computer access is still active and, they tell me, will continue to be so for a couple of months. We shall see. I did, however, have to clear my office and surrender my key, and my library card ceased to be valid at the end of my contract. I now finally have time to get on with my own research, and don't really have the facilities with which to do it. I believe I can join the library as an external reader. This means I can borrow three books at any one time, and for this privilege I have to pay £60 for the year. Sixty pounds.


"Congratulations on your graduation. Get out."

"Thank you for your help teaching our undergraduates. Please don't now do any work here that we can't use to our advantage / for our ratings."


I'm feeling decidedly cut adrift...