PhD Cat

PhD Cat may be junior academic now but will grow to full professor SOON. PhD Cat shares the final year of the doctoral experience with you. MEOW!

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PhD Cat is full-on ready to attack rewriting her chapter tomorrow and submit it by Friday/Sunday.

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PhD Cat is done with her marking!

JUST KIDDING!

Another 50 scripts to go from another course! Well it's some sort of done?

PhD Cat says, 'There's nothing better than laying on a big pile of finished marking in the sun. ...unless it's cleaning the bathroom like I said I would. Maybe I just don't do that and poop on the floor off and on for another 2 weeks? Yeah! That sounds better...'

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Marking makes PhD Cat sleepy.

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PhD Cat was asked to mark some essays from a different course because the Uni was in bind. PhD Cat agreed and received this response:

That’s fantastic. You always seem to be coming to our rescue!

PhD Cat says, "There's only one thing that beats behind the ear scratches: being told what a good kitty I am while receiving behind the ear scratches."

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PhD Cat says, 'This is what a major theoretical development looks like: before, during, and after.' All shitty photography intentional. There was a major development today where my theoretical framework not only FINALLY tied my entire thesis together, but also reshaped my methodology 'map' to resemble a house. A house that is a metaphor for how international civil service works. International relations isn't a stage; it's a house. A house with a foundation, wall, a ceiling, a 'main level', and a creepy attic! Ahhhh feels so good. PhD Cat rest now. PhD Cat sleepy... *really, teeny snoring sounds are coming from the sofa; so cute!*

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PhD Cat says, Sometimes your human gets really sick. When that happens no work will be done. It's just time for cuddles. So suck it up and take one for the team. No claws allowed. Look how pathetic my human is!

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PhD Cat has had a long hiatus because PhD Cat has been very productive. Today PhD Cat has a pile of marking due in 10 days and is on day-two of a terrible nausea flu. So today PhD Cat lays in bed and watches Disney films. See? See how's I's gonna eat the storks?! Omnonnom

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PhD Cat can have death flu? Oh my yes, and 6 days til chapter is due? oh my, yes!

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PhD Cat cannot handle any more stress. PhD Cat says, 'You know when you are being strangled by the very crinkly thing you love; and you're trying so hard to work yourself out of it, but it keeps getting tighter the more you try to work out of it? And then the human comes in and laughs at you and takes photos to document the hell that is your life in this moment? ...yeah fuck them. And fuck life too. But especially fuck this crinkly thing.' In case you didn't catch that, crinkly thing is synonymous with doctoral thesis. Fuck the doctoral thesis - WHY CAN'T YOU BE EASIER TO WRITE! Deep breaths. Deep breaths. PhD Cat needs some serious behind the ear scratches.

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PhD Cat knows she should focus on reading technical histories of power in the WTO so she can submit her next chapter on time, but this sleepy cave the humans built blocks out the pending snow coldness. Mmm sleep cave with Fattie Rattie.

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PhD Cat worked, wrote, cooked, emailed, ran, and boxed today. PhD Cat can have work/life balance? PhD Cat can has sleeps under quilt.

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Sometimes as much as you want to focus on writing chapters, pbrain says no. Brain says have a day off; have an adventure. Whether that adventure entails driving in Scotland or flipping through London Fasion Week A/W 2013 Day 3 Collections - Day 3 had to be the best day in fashion history! - sometimes you just need some time to focus by not focusing at all. Ah least that's what PhD Cat argues. And if she can drive a car, she can win an argument about writing.

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PhD Cat’s brain is mush. 11-day work week going on right now, only 2 more days til the end. Kitties gets lie in tomorrow cause it’s silly ‘holiday’. Kitties no function. Need repose. Need more space on chaise lounge.

You try to be witty after thesis writing long-haul. You fail too. Don’t judge us.

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Notthattypeofdoctor nailed it - PhD Cat's brain is SUCH mush that she posted to the wrong blog... A testament to how well kitteh brain has been worked! Had some good tags too that can'ts remember now.

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PhD Cat says, 'Sundays are good days for a snuggle, even if Fattie rattie doesn't snuggle back. Ah, the isolation of the thesis.'

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PhD Cat says, 'After a full day transcribing interviews if eyes hurt, best remedy is to lie in dark until stupid human flashes bright light in face. ...yeah, that'll fix me eyes. Stupid human.' Night night!

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PhD Cat has her first day off in 10 days - not 'working days', 'year 3 of a PhD days'. This 10-day stretch follows the triumphant return of PhD Cat to the thesis after 11 month interruption. It happens. PhD Cat also managed to get her ass in the gym 4 days this week - don't know if you've noticed PhD Cat has got a lil saggy belly on. So the long awaited lie-in/day off commences, and PhD Cat says, 'Getting back to it after a long while off is difficult, no matter the feat. But the forward movement is reward enough... And if it's not, go gets your feet did. YOU THINK I CAN GROOM THESE MASSIVE PAWS MYSELF?! Naw, I don't even have thumbs, girl.'

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PhD Cat returns (to the doctoral thesis)!!! Not only that but PhD Cat has been working off her teeny face since mid-January non-stop and needs repose (in the Everything is Illuminated, Eugene Hutz sense of the word).

Yeah, so PhD Cat is back, hopefully in full force. This tumblr was created to showcase the hell that is the final year of a PhD in cat form, as it is the best form, but the hell ended up taking over for 11 months, which resulted in an interruption - oops. I often wonder if today-me spoke to me-pre-PhD, would today-me convince the other me NOT to start a PhD. I guess that's why I started PhD Cat, so that PhDs-in-waiting would reconsider what will mostly likely be the biggest mistake of their lives. When the biggest let down of your (potential) life comes in cat form, it's easier to swallow, eh?

HERE'S TO THE END OF MY PHD ... well the good years, the research years, in 7 months we'll move onto the shittest part - the writing up year.

PS: PhD Cat just came in the at-home office to bid you all a fair 'Brrrawww', which is kitteh for 'What's up, bitches?!'