Discover Top Posts Tagged with #panton mcleod

Week 209, Day 1462.

Okay, I am back from the Institute of Water annual conference in Portsmouth and have a lot to do and not enough time to do it, so I’m going to keep this post short.

I had the best time at the conference, where I finally got the chance to spend some time with my CEO and Eddy the elephant (our mascot), and network with many other great people!

Photo: My CEO (Jim Panton), Eddy, and I. Source: Phone camera.

Unfortunately, I also had some negative experiences at the conference with how I was treated, specifically by men. For instance, I made the apparent mistake of wearing high heels to the conference, because I ended up with comments like this in my LinkedIn (!) inbox...

“Those heels worked well for you or you worked them well. You turned some heads” (in response to me saying thanks for his initial comment about my shoes)

“I’ve not got legs like you have!!! 🔥🔥🔥” (when I tried to laugh it off and say this person should take inspiration from me and Noel Fielding and try some heels out himself)

“Do you work out or are they natural?” (about my legs again)

“Oh sorry didn’t mean it like that” (when I finally called him out on his inappropriateness)

This man is someone I met at the conference and who played quite a key role in its organisation. I did nothing to warrant this kind of behaviour and violation of my inbox. I was dressed professionally (as you can see above), representing a respected company. It also drives me insane when men say things like “oh I didn’t mean it like that” or “calm down I was joking” when you call them out on their bullshirt, trying to make you feel like you're overreacting. Top tip: If you ever feel like someone is being inappropriate or making you uncomfortable, you’re right. Don’t be scared to say something, don’t just laugh it off. Ignoring it is how behaviour like that continues to happen. I will fully be telling my boss about this, who ironically asked me when I joined the company why women don’t often stay in the water industry.

Another example was a man from a water company openly hitting on me and kissing me on the cheek, TWICE. Once at the conference social night, which I brushed off as him being under the influence of alcohol, but the second was when we were leaving the conference and IN FRONT OF MY BOSS. Just, eurgh.

Another day, another fight against sexism.

However, on a more positive note, being at the conference and being treated appallingly by some people really reinforced to me that I made the right decision with Panton McLeod, where I have felt nothing but respected and appreciated.

Now it’s back to finishing my PhD so that I can move into the role full time! 🐘

I also leave you with a photo of a beautiful sunset over the Portsmouth harbour. Irrespective of how dark some days may be, the sun will rise, and we will try again...

Ciao!

Photo: Sunset in Portsmouth. Source: Phone camera.

Week 202, Day 1411.

Gonna be a quick whiplash style update this week...

I am super stressed (bad)

I am still on track with my GANTT chart (encouraging)

I got yelled at by a client for no reason (less fun)

I passed my confined space training 100% (not bad for an agoraphobic)

I had a massive panic yesterday and my anxiety is really bad (kinda awful)

I was on the news (ace) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UowwE8cAI_M

I could go on but Ima stop for now.

Have a great weekend, thank you to all 910+ of you that follow me.

Photo: Told you I was on the news. Source: Screen shot from the BBC.

Week 192, Day 1339.

So last week was some kind of insanity. Aside from my conference going well, I also found out that a short video I recorded with a company called Panton McLeod was entered into the ‘Water Industry TV’ short film competition and has reached the finals. And to top that off, a poster that I submitted to the International Water Association young water professionals poster competition has won first place. It’s official, every PhD poster I have produced so far has won some kind of 1st place. Absolute INSANITY. 💫

So, needless to say, there was a lot to process and it took me some time to get through the overwhelm. With how much of a struggle the PhD journey usually is, it felt incredible to have some WINds (geddit?) beneath my sails. However, Monday came around way sooner than I would have liked it, and took me back down to earth. And there was my GANTT chart to thesis completion, glaring at me with disdain... 🌍

Believe me when I tell you that I have A LOT of catching up to do to get back on track, which is great considering I also have two wisdom teeth coming through at the same time, both on the same side of my mouth, and I’ve also somehow managed to get conjunctivitis in one eye. How the mighty fall. The whole thing is very humbling. 🦷

Nevertheless, one must not get discouraged, and in the exact words of one of my very supportive friends “IF YOU CAN PRESENT A CONFERENCE TO 100 WATER INDUSTRY EXPERTS AND ANALYSE SOIL HALFWAY ACROSS THE WORLD YOU CAN FINISH THIS”... which worked in boosting my motivation, hence I am typing this blog post at 10 min to midnight on a school night. 🌜

And, before I go, I leave you with another quote of wisdom from a fellow final year PhD student... “I’m not sure we can do this, but we have to.”

You’re welcome.

Picture: One of the best motivational quotes I’ve heard in a while. Source: Greg, a fellow victim of the PhD.

Week 96, Day 665.

My PhD provides me with an incredible opportunity to travel, especially around the UK, and has made me completely and utterly fall in love with the country (especially Scotland).💙 Travelling has allowed me to see places I never thought I’d see and has also advanced me from being an amateur driver to a very competent one. However, it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. 🌈 Many people think that travelling is glamorous, easy, and prestigious. It is in fact time consuming, exhausting, tedious, and sometimes very difficult. It involves endless packing and unpacking, suffering back, neck, and shoulder aches from being behind the wheel all the time, early starts, late finishes, eating on the go, and constant expenses. It also means being away from home, which for me is hard as home is my resting place. 💔 After a while, hotel rooms get old and seeing new places is no fun if you’re not sharing the experience with the ones you love. I acknowledge how lucky I am, but I also want to shed light on how debilitating travel (especially for work) can be. The fact that I’m agoraphobic also makes it that much harder.

The above has been one of the main reasons why I haven’t had the energy to write much on here over the last few weeks... Fortunately, I have a day in the office today before I head off to Market Deeping later on tonight, then onto Peterborough, Colchester, and Chester throughout the week... No rest for the wicked. 😬

Last week I spent most of my time in beautiful Scotland. The three day trip involved taking part in a service reservoir inspection with Panton McLeod, an awesome tour of the treatment works that feed my project site, and lots of field work. 🌿 Despite how tiring it was, being in Scotland always lifts my spirits; I hope to live there some day. 🥃

Photo: A stunning Scottish morning. Source: My phone out of a car window (I’m a safe driver, I promise).

It’s amazing how pleasant and relaxing mundane tasks like grocery shopping, tidying, and cooking dinner can be when you’ve been away from home. 🏡 This weekend finally gave my bf and I some quality time together doing just that; it really is about the simple things in life when you find your happy place. It was also our cats birthday last week! Someone got spoilt rotten with snacks and attention. 🐈

Photo: The birthday boy watching us go off to work as he goes off to bed. #catlife Source: My camera.

A little on minimalism and sustainability...

I have decided that Lush conditioner bars are not yet at the standard that I would like them to be as they don’t lather well and run out a lot quicker than the Lush shampoo bars. Therefore, I have decided to buy my conditioner from Body Shop in the meantime as they’re really big on recycling and will collect any used plastic produce from beauty products of any brand, making them a great alternative. Moreover, if you bring back 5 of their pots to be recycled at the store, you get a £5 voucher! It’s a win-win. 🚿

Two weeks ago, I mentioned that I made an inventory of all of my wardrobe and jewellery items and vowed that I wouldn’t buy any of those types of items until January. I failed. I bought a beautiful pair of new Converses. However, I basically live in Converses, so I know that I will wear them basically 24/7, but that doesn’t stop me being a little disappointed in myself. I will probably apply the ‘one in one out rule’ to mitigate this. 👟

This has been my longest post in a while and it has actually been really refreshing to have some time to write. However, back to manic I go! Have an awesome week y’all wherever you are!

Photo: LOOK HOW PRETTY THEY ARE. 😍 No regrets. Source: My camera.

Week 99, Day 686.

“Things are looking up, oh finally” 🎵 - Paramore. I know that the last few weeks (almost months) I have been a bit of a downer on here. And as much as I feel a little meh about it, I will not apologise. I refuse to be anything but honest with myself and my readers. This is my journey and as with any odyssey it’s not always smooth sailing. ⛵ Furthermore, I’m a realist, a cautious optimist at best, and I choose to feel every emotion wholeheartedly. After all, you cannot grow within your comfort zone. 🌿

Anyhow, things are indeed looking up! My conference presentations are done, albeit needing a few tweaks here and there and a couple hours of practice. My to do list has gone down from 36 to 20 items in the last few weeks. And I am off on a much needed holiday this week! I have also outlined my biggest tasks over the next few months and am consciously trying to say ‘no’ to as many non-essential things as possible; both at work and in my personal life. So I feel a little lighter. 🌟

One of the best things I’ve done this week was finally turning off my phone for 24 hours following an essay I read by ‘The Minimalists’ on ‘Screenless Saturdays’. One day without my phone made me feel calmer, more focused, more in-tune with my emotions, and, honestly, I felt free. It might sound dramatic, but I urge you to do the same and see how it changes your perspective on life. I am certainly going to disconnect more often. 📴

It is almost the end of my second academic year as a PhD student! As I am funded for 4 years, this means that I am basically half-way through. Instead, I am going to try and complete my PhD journey in 3 years, mainly to cheat the clock and abstain from slacking. Thus, there are some serious challenges ahead and although it makes me tired just thinking about them I think I’m prepared. 📚

For now, here’s a video Panton McLeod put together of me talking about service reservoirs, and why what I do is so important: https://vimeo.com/348396667 Have an awesome week! Photo: Print screen from the above video link. Source: Panton McLeod.

Week 93, Day 645.

The jet lag has subsided, but with that has surfaced perpetual and relentless panic at my 36 point ‘to do’ list for work; none of the tasks minor. It is seriously looking like there will be a number of sleepless nights on the horizon and many a red bull drunk...

To summarise some of the biggest tasks:

I have two journal papers to write, both of which require data analysis to be done first.

2 conference presentations to put together and submit (I HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED FOR AWWA WQTC; AN INTERNATIONAL WATER QUALITY CONFERENCE THAT IS HELD IN TEXAS THIS YEAR!!!) 🎉

Create a presentation and poster for a symposium at the end of this month.

Host a steering group meeting with my industry sponsors.

The above are just some of the “written” tasks that all need to be done by the end of August!!! However, between now and the end of August I also have to...

Go away for a week with my doctorate centre, an event which is extremely full on and appropriately termed ‘challenge week’.

Undergo confined space training, which is great considering I’m agoraphobic...

Carry out a 4 week placement with Panton McLeod, which will require me commuting up and down the country to different sites.

Go to Russia for a week. Because ya know, family and all that.

Install monitoring equipment at most of my sites, which are located all over the country.

Carry out company visits with all of my sponsors.

Therefore, I am not actually sure when I’m supposed to get the above done whilst also finding time to sleep and have some kind of social life. Especially, as our house is still not sorted post move... 🏡

Photo: My life. Source: Tumblr, edited in Paint to make it PhD relevant.

I don’t mean to be super complain-y, but I am extremely stressed and also petrified of failure. I am also sick to death of explaining to people how tired I am and that I genuinely have no time for anything extra curricular right now. I am not going to waste anymore energy on this, if they can’t accept what I’m going through, they can do one. I don’t have the energy to care anymore.

In conclusion, I have no idea how I am going to survive the next 2 months and get everything done, all I know is that I have to. 🌟 On a happier note, we had an incredible time at our friends wedding this weekend in Scotland! It was an unbelievably beautiful event with an insane amount of effort and thought put into it; a reflection of the commitment and love the couple have for each other. 💘

Anyway, I need to go and get on with the above, have a chilled out week on my behalf!

Photo: On the left - Anyone who is moderately positive. Right - me right now. Source: https://rubyetc.tumblr.com/