I'm on maternity leave. Or at least I'm supposed to be. If you ask me I'd say that half of me is working on PhD thesis and the other half is taking care of the baby. I'm ever so grateful to my mother-in-laws who live nearby and are willing to look after our baby while I try to think and work. It feels as if most of my brain cells are on leave as well. There is an article on the way to be published. It has been accepted and the referees have commented on it, so the last thing to do is to rewrite some stuff and to replot some figures (perhaps to rethink the whole dissertation thing all over?). I don't feel ready. On the other hand, I don't think I'll ever be more ready than I am now. I just hope that the opponent won't ask me to explain the whole thermodynamical stuff that my thesis is based on. Thermodynamics is worse than going to the dentist. It's worse than scratching the blackboard with your nails. Thermodynamics is more painful than giving birth and there are no painkillers for it. The only good thing is that the dissertation won't last for 22 hours... and maybe there will be only tiny bits of thermo, just a very very small question.

Nonii, suomeksi totean vaan lyhyesti, että yökötiyök, kun väitöspäivä lähestyy lähestymistään (ei sitä vielä ole sovittu eikä tapahdu ihan pikapuoliin kuitenkaan). Sen tuntee nahoissaan, kun väsää viimeistä omaa artikkelia julkaisukuntoon. Mutta että tuskinpa koskaan tulen olemaan yhtään valmiimpi koitokseen kuin nyt. Ja vaikka väitös tulee olemaan synnytystäkin tuskaisempaa (toivotaan vaan etten joudu selittämään tulosten takana olevaa termodynamiikkaa alusta alkaen), niin ei se kestä kuitenkaan yhtä kauan... jotain positiivista.

The main point of this outburst was that thank whateverniceyoubelievein for yarn and knitting! It is extremely nice to forget about adsorption theory and droplet growth and to plan some nice stuff to knit for my secret knitting pal instead.