Iris' PhD graduation celebrations

Normally we would be participating in autumn graduation ceremonies this week. Instead, all the degrees to be conferred this time around have been awarded in absentia.

Amongst the new graduates is my (now former) PhD student Iris. Despite the circumstances, we couldn't let this day pass without celebrating Iris' great achievement with her, so this evening we all gathered on Zoom to toast the new doctor. I did so outdoors in my yarden so that I could share my bottle of Champagne with our colleague Ella, who lives nearby.

It was important that I didn't guzzle all the fizz all by myself because an hour after the wee celebration I was due back online to participate in a conference session 'in' the US, and answer questions about the paper that I bashed out in a hurry in April.

Fortunately I didn't have to deliver my paper live. Instead the recording that I made on 18th September was played to the online audience. In the event there was only one question for me and it was very easily answered.

I spent the rest of the day mainly working on an online event of my own to be hosted on 19th November.

Given that I started work this morning on UK time and ended it late afternoon EST, it's been a very long working day. Still, it could have been worse: when we started the conference session it was 04:00am for one of the presenters in China. She confessed that did not even bother going to bed last night!

Exercise today: none.