double-edged sword

There is something enormously gratifying, if also terrifying, in having the people around and with whom I'm doing my research tell me they want to eventually read my thesis. This happened twice just today.

This is even more so in a week when I feel like I don't have the foggiest clue what I'm doing. I've never done this before.

I am going to Cape Town at the end of this week so someone (preferably my advisor) can tell me either: a) what I'm doing up here is not obscure, irrelevant, or naïve; or b) what I'm doing is, in fact, obscure, irrelevant, and naïve, but that this is OK.

Being a research institute of one is not always an easy task. But at least I can jet off to Cape Town on my own initiative, and chalk it up as 'work-related'.