I am very pleased and extremely relieved to be able to (finally!) announce that I have passed my PhD viva – and with only minor…
Today is Thursday, 21 February. I was born on Thursday, 21 February. And on this very Thursday, 21 February, I am 21 in Scrabble tiles.…
As 2018 winds to a close, I find myself reflecting on the year and how I’ve fared over the last 12 months. And, as always,…
And with that, my Marcothon days are over. Yes, I have failed in my attempt to run every day throughout December. But at least my attempt means…
As any regular Just Frances reader will know, my PhD Dreams began a few years ago. And my actual PhD studies began nearly five years ago. And now,…
Note: This post was originally shared on my PhD blog, www.FrancesRyanPhD.com. Last month, I was notified that a journal paper I wrote has been accepted for publication. The…
2017 is over. It was meant to be my “year of doing” but, alas, it would seem that it was a year undone. Undone, indeed*.…
I am a widow. I was widowed when I was a young woman of 35 and my life has never been the same since. In the…
Welcome to 2017. This is the year. This is the year that so very many very wonderful things are going to happen. This is the…
Thanks to this summer’s broken ankle, I had to make some changes to my 2016 resolutions. Today, those revamped running resolutions were realised! (Yay!) However, it was…
I started 2016 with the high hopes of meeting (and exceeding!) one simple running goal: To run a sub-2:00:00 half marathon. I knew it would be a…
One of the cool things about having your own blog that is just about you (as Just Frances is) means that I get to shout from the keyboard when…
I need to start this post by saying that I know I am not overweight and I don’t think that I am fat by any…
When you live your life without a partner, it can be lonely. Even if you fill your days with friends and acquaintances, it can be…
I attended a PhD workshop the other week. It was one of those touchy-feely things where they wanted to talk about coping strategies for balancing…
Last week was the School of Computing PhD Conference, where all PhD students were expected to present their research. It was a long, busy day – especially as I was…
Like many people, I fancy myself a bit of a comedienne. I like to crack jokes and I regularly have episodes of SUBS syndrome that I just…
Today is a special day in my life. Today is the day I become the answer to life, the universe, and everything. Yes, today I…
With my birthday just around the corner, I am more aware than normal that I am getting older. I am ageing; I am becoming more…
I attended the International Data and Information Management Conference in Loughborough (England) this week. The conference was a great opportunity to meet with other information science researchers – and to present…