And on it goes…

Well, I had quite a triumphant moment there last week, when I arrived in from a board meeting to discover a hardback envelope waiting on the mat. Upon opening it – of course, there was a diploma, along with a letter of congratulations and best wishes, yada yada… And so it ends.

All the stress and angst of the last 10 months evaporated in a moment, as I clutched that piece of paper for which I’d been striving. And at the same time, there was that sense I always get at the end of something: is that it? A sense of something approaching disappointment, to temper the tremendous feeling of achievement – but the achievement won out in the end! Just.

So now it’s Alan Cunnane, DHypPsych(UK) to you. And whatever else you called me anyway (just not too early in the morning!) – none of that’s changed. I’m still a git at heart. But a hypnotic git – look into my eyes…. I don’t really know what to do with myself at the moment – I think I’ll wait till after Christmas to make any career decisions.

And of course, I’m a year older – again. It kinda loses it’s ooomph! after a certain point, or maybe that’s just cos it wasn’t a huge swingin’ party this year. It was fun, though – a good cross-section of mates old and new turned up at Zakudia for grub’n’gargles, and a few hardy souls went on into the night to party. Not me, though – I was feeling old and tired. To the extent that I actually had a senior moment, thought it was an hour later than it actually was, and only discovered this on Lewisham high street as I searched the bus stop timetables for a night bus. Yargh! I’m too young to have senior moments! And I hadn’t even had *that* much to drink…!!! Oh well, there’s always next year’s frenzy to plan…

The bike is laid up in the garage at the moment, feeling a tad unwell. This is due, of course, to its clumsy, lardy owner dropping it at a virtual standstill while turning round in a sidestreet on the South Bank, snapping off the front brake lever and cracking the right-side footrest hanger – look, Mum, no brakes! So a helpful breakdown chap had to come and take me and bike home – cheers Carl! By now, there are more scratches than paint on the bodywork – bah….

I’ve wittered enough. Look to your social calendars – I get paid on Monday!

Ooh – that was harsh!

That was a rough weekend, and no mistake! Got the exam presented to us at 2 on Saturday afternoon after a morning of revision, and three incredibly short hours later we were told to put our pens down. I don’t think I was alone in feeling that was a very very tough exam! Standing outside the exam room afterwards and watching my fellow students leave, there was a universal expression of shell-shock on every face…

But on to better things, and back to the Uncommon Knowledge office for a litte end-of-course soirĂ©e – we quaffed beer and wine, ate the munchies that were laid on, and disappeared off into Brighton in search of further thrills. I have no idea what time the night ended, but I was completely sozzled – and judging by the state of the class the following day, I wasn’t alone!

So what’s next? Well, for the moment I’m not setting up in the hypnotherapy business – not full-time, at least. I’m available to heal your ills, or at least help with them, so give me a shout if you want something tweaked. Right now, though, the Synthetix business requires my full attention, so that’s where I’m at for the time being.

By the way, if anybody finds themselves at a loose end on Saturday night, there’s going to be some kind of a celebration of mine & Gwyneth’s advancing years, probably somewhere about the South Bank. Nothing more definite than that at the moment, but I’ll be sure to update you if anything comes to mind. Of course, today is Gwyn’s birthday, so a big whoop to her!

More to come, when my brain starts working again…