Sympathetic Stress

It's my friend Cat's viva today. A viva can be, and usually is a very stressful experience. It's the culmination of 3 years work and even though most people have a good idea of the likely outcome it's still a stressful procedure. You can't help thinking before you go in that you could still screw it up by making some kind of hideous mistake.

A lot of people take great joy in someone else's viva and enjoy taunting the victim/candidate beforehand and going for a drink afterward. Unfortunately I usually just feel nervous for the person in question and can't settle while it's going on. On viva days I feel my stomach churning and I tense up, waiting. This time it is particularly bad because I am close to Cat and I know how hard she has worked on this. As I type this the viva has been going on for 2 hours and 34 minutes. Can't be long now.