Cons:

-Heard back from the original dream job posting, they filled the position and I wasn't selected.

-Played some guitar, but not nearly enough. Luckily my skill doesn't seem to have dropped at all in the time I've 'taken off,' just my endurance, which can be rebuilt with a few hours of cramped hands.

-Been more sedentary than I'd like, and anything I'd list from the past few weeks is just an excuse.

Pros!

-GOT A FUCKING JOB OFFER WITH DECENT PAY AND FULL BENEFITS. It's not precisely what I want in terms of field (Corporate job rather than academic/research), but the skills transfer well and I could live a very happy few years in Metro Detroit just living. Also, I have a long time before I have to decide on the offer, so I'll continue looking for something that better fits my goals, AND I'll be negotiating from a stronger position than I had before.

-First round of exams came back and I'm sitting on a comfortable 3.5 in everything. I had a long appointment with my independent study adviser and we were able to devise a good framework for organizing the concepts and history I want to study, now it's just a matter of reading the three remaining books and small avalanche of contemporary research materials.

Bonus Question: Depends on the goal honestly. Granular failure builds up and weighs me down in the same way that granular success builds up and feels empowering.