Winds of Change

Wow! Where does the time go? Does it speed-up as we get older? Or, do we simply find more ways to fill the space?

I was recently reminded that it appears I have been ‘off-the-radar’ since late-February due to the vast numbers of e-mails from friends and family wondering if I was still alive. Just to clarify, yes, I am indeed alive! But, it seems the winds of change are upon the horizon.

As means of a brief recap – when last I left you, I had just applied for the Queensland job in addition to traditional research positions. Shortly thereafter my teaching load reappeared and our student magazine, EuSci, entered production mode. This time around, I volunteered to be photographic editor. For those of you curious, this requires having an overall vision of the final magazine we will produce and commissioning artwork to illustrate the articles.(Lets face it – most of us are drawn to stories by interesting images.) I was surprised by the effort required to coordinate this mammoth job and can only toast our outgoing Editor-In-Chief for her commitment to starting this project while finishing her PhD. I had the opportunity to work with some absolutely fantastic student-artists who generated cracking images. When we came up short, I got to dust off my camera and fill the gap. The end product looks fantastic! After all of the production team holding our breath about fundraising, we recently went to press. You can check out our latest efforts at:
www.eusci.org

In the midst of all that ‘chaos’, the wheels of change have started rolling for The Roaming ‘Nome. I was in New York in March for a job interview the outcome of which is still pending. I took a couple of weeks off to explore the Outer Hebrides and Isle of Mull, both in Scotland, and have some great pictures and stories on the horizon. On the photography front, I’ve been commissioned to produce 10 photographs for a new publication about Darwin’s time in Edinburgh. (This should been on the shelves in mid-August so watch this space for publication details.)

But as new opportunities appear, old ones slip away. I recently turned 30 and marked the transition into ‘adulthood’ (I’ve been a grown-up since I was 5) with a new dress and a meal at the Michelin-star restaurant The Kitchin. And, my contract(s) with the University of Edinburgh have ended. Despite the lovely summery weather this weekend, I’m cleaning my office. Its time to be moving onwards and upwards, I suppose.

With that, I’ll leave you with the lyrics to a particularly relevant song that continues to run through my head as I adjust to life without a working week and officially becoming a 30-something:

I think Ill take a moment, celebrate my age;
The ending of an era and the turning of a page;
Now its time to focus in on where I go from here;
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years…

My next thirty years I’m gonna settle all the scores;
Cry a little less, laugh a little more;
Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear;
Figure out just what I’m doing here;
In my next thirty years.