Work's picking up too on the PhD. I've been refocusing the research somewhat so that it's a lot less about Kennedy - a path well and truly trodden when it comes to space research - and a lot more about Eisenhower and how his reach towards new policy in a wholly new area built on experience and relationships that had proved successful for him already in his Presidency. The likes of Jim Killian and Jim Hagerty are my current heroes - policy influencers from slightly unexpected sources. The diaries/memoirs of both have proved good sources to mine in the past few weeks.
There was good news too that a paper of mine - 'The Helping Hands to the Hidden Hand' - has been accepted by the Australian and New Zealand American Studies Association's biennial conference in Brisbane next July. All fantastic in theory, but I now need to get well north of £1500 together to get myself over there to present . The paper covers a significant chunk of my PhD chronology - so it will be great to get it both written and shared with other researchers.
With a return trip to Abilene planned for the New Year, it's good to have some goals to aim for over the next nine months.
