Since my last posting I have been writing up chapters. I am quietly confident about how well this is going so far. As always, I am awaiting the massive crash and crisis and life-reevaluation and tears and tantrums that is bound to happen one day soon because surely it happens to every PhD candidate doesn't it yes it does so that's that then. But it hasn't happened yet so I'm making hay while the country freezes.

The two hardest chapters are out of the way now, to a first draft standard at least, and whisper it quietly: I don't think they're too bad. We'll see what happens when I get feedback on them, and I know they still need a lot of work, but responses from papers I've given based on the same work has been mostly positive, so at least I know it's not all irrelevant nonsense. Just irrelevant, probably. I'll take that.

Have done another two chapters since then, at a much, much, much quicker pace (being, as they are, on familiar territory). Got a paper based on those in the IHR next week so we'll see how that goes. I also booked my working holiday/conference abroad hotel and flights for Braga, Portugal in late may. I'll start by giving a paper at a conference in Braga, (the Economic and Business Historical Society), then heading up to the coast near the Spanish border to sit on the beach/by the pool proof-reading and re-drafting the thesis for a week or so. I am looking forward to this a lot, partly just for the holiday, but also because it will mean by then I'll have a full first/second/third draft.

In other news: Christmas came and went. We (my girlfriend and me) made dinner for her parents, for the first time. Over the course of the whole day we only shouted at each other once, which is rather splendid going I think. New Year's was at a friend's in Swansea (always better to be at a house party in the excellent company of good friends than spending half the night queueing to pay for grossly overpriced beer).

Have been trying to make more time for going to see live acts. Went to see some Jazz in Chiswick, which was fantastic (and free, thanks to my gf's links with the 'community'), Stewart Lee a few weeks ago was brilliant (I love him a bit too much and have no shame in wanting to be like him, like a 13-year old emulating his favourite cartoon character), and got a 3rd row seat for his old partner Richard Herring tonight in the same venue (Hitler Moustache tour, which I didn't want to miss).

Jerry Sadowich has been doing the Leicester Sq Theatre recently too. I should have gone to see him to cross him also off the list of idols from the late 90s who I couldn't afford/was too young to see at the time. Blur at Glastonbury last year probably started something of a pattern in this regard.