My talk went well and it was nice to see how far I've come in a year. I'm excited to be close to finishing up a year from now; I can see the light at the end of a tunnel. I also learned of grant money that would allow me to research an unrelated but plant-related topic anywhere in the world (as long as I can justify it) for a few months after finishing up my own research. I could look at ethnobotanicals, or urban trees, fruit production, or any other neat topic. I would apply this winter though, so I need to get started now. I'd really like to go somewhere where I'd use the language--maybe Spain? It's just brainstorming at this point.

I've noticed for awhile that when I get lost in my thoughts, my visual ability to focus gets shot; everything is a little blurrier (with or without contacts/glasses). Lately I've been stricter about pushing thoughts down before they become a tornado of hopelessness (a phenomenon that has been occurring a lot this past year), and everytime I do, I notice my visual acuity improving. I can actually see what's in front of me, while before I couldn't. It's such a relief... real life is just there, and I don't need to overthink it. I push down thoughts, and just see what there is.