Friday, February 27, 2015

I'm Back ... Sort Of

What ho, chumrades!

I took a three week break from blogging and blog visiting and I’ve missed you all.  

Regular visitors here will know that I’ve been slogging away at my MA thesis as I get ready to finish a two study leave from the Canadian Armed Forces.   My fate would be dim if I had to go back to work in May and didn’t have a diploma to justify this paid holiday as a long-haired hippy grad student.  I’m happy to say that the first draft got completed and sent to my thesis director two days ago, after three weeks of long days, seven days a week.  Uggh.  So that’s done, and for the next week I’ll tidy it up and get it to the rest of my committee.  Hopefully a defence date in April and graduation in May.

It was on Tuesday, as I was driving into campus to drop off the thesis, that I started feeling jolly unpleasant.   Several days previously I had turned to Madame Padre and said, “I think my flu shot worked.  Winter’s almost over and I haven’t gotten sick.”   Never ever say something like that, chumrades.   You never know who’s listening.  I’ve only just started to feel  halfway decent today.  I was planning to spend yesterday in a day long painting holiday, but spend most of it in bed, alternately chilled and sweating.    Hopefully I’ll have the energy and inclination to pick up a brush soon. I did however get to play a bit with the Consim Press U-Boat solitaire game The Hunters and found it terrific fun.  More to follow on that.

I now have some idea of what my assignment will be when I go back into uniform, and I’m happy with it, but the downside is that it will likely be two moves in the next three years if the unit I’m going to moves in 2016 as planned.  Hard luck for the poor toy soldiers, not to mention Madame Padre’s plants.  Again, more to follow.

Among the many things I haven’t blogged about of late was a piece of very happy news thanks to the talented and generous Pete Barlow.

Back in January Pete ran a contest on his blog to name a very handsome Viking warrior he had sketched.  I was delighted to learn I was the winner, and that his name would be my late dad’s third Christian name, Sloss, which he was given to remember his Scottish (and possibly Viking) ancestry.   Pete and I agreed on a slight variation on the prize, and I look forward to saying more on that when the very kind and busy Pete can get to it.

I was also delighted to learn that the prizes from my Diplomacy game run last year have arrived safely.   Here’s one of them, now named “Bertie”, inspecting his new home in Australia.  Looks like quite a cushy billet if you ask me.

Be well.

MP+

  

11 comments:

  1. Welcome back.

    I've played The Hunters, not a bad solitaire game. I'm hoping one day to come up with a version for WW1 air combat/tour of duty type of thing, but to fit in with Wings of Glory.

    All the best for your thesis!

    Bertie sends his regards.

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  2. Welcome back Padre - your contributions in the blogosphere have been missed. Congrats on completing the first draft of your thesis. I hope your supervisor doesn't insist on too many changes. :)

    Sorry to hear about the 'flu - get well soon :)

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  3. Hope u feel better soon.
    Good to hear about the thesis and I look forward to hear more of your forthcoming postings...
    Alan

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  4. Hope your feeling better. Looking forward to seeing whatever your brushes decide to touch :D

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  5. Glad the thesis work is now behind you (I am guiltily looking at mine on the shelf, half done) and good luck with the rest of the process

    I hope the new postings work out for you. My own own armies have taken a battering over 20 some years of postings and military moves. This time I had to leave them all behind on the other side of the world so am buying lots of books and new armies which is lots of fun too (I didm bring my copy of The Hunters though!). I now invest heavily in the right storage boxes and foam trays - its too soul destroying to hear that horrible rattling and crunching noise in a box you know has little lead treasures in them...

    Congrats on winning Pete's prize!

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  6. Glad to have you back.... sort of... :-)
    Get well soon

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  7. Welcome back. Great news on finishing your MA- must give you a great deal of satisfaction.

    I've been successful holding a cold at bay by regularly drinking lemon juice and honey topped up with boiling water (add whiskey if it's the last one of the day) it's well worth a try.

    Cheers,

    Pete.

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  8. Glad to have you back Michael but I'm sorry to hear the saying from your lips to God's ears didn't go in your favor this time. Get well soon.

    Rob

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  9. Thank you all very kindly. I am feeling better today, though I fear I have infected Madame Padre. I am feeding her lemon tea, ice cream and soup in an effort to make amends.

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    Replies
    1. Welcome back Mike - have missed your postings.

      Hope the whole thesis situation runs smoothly from here on in and that Mrs Padre is feeling better.

      - Dai

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