Discover Top Posts Tagged with #phdfan talks

I swear I will resume my normal posting at some point and punt off all the s*p*n stuff to my side blog again, but I’m still processing and that seems to need to happen in large part on my main.

#phdfan talks #people are probably getting real sick of my irl as well #because I cannot seem to shut up about it

One long dump of personal life status update below the cut.

So it isn't just the first time that I've shown up on your dashes in awhile. It's also the first time that I've really been engaging with my academic work in awhile. Like most people, this year has been a bit of a rolling cluster, what with the fires here in Australia, then a new baby, then covid and parenting both a new baby and my stir crazy homebound preschooler, and I still haven't quite managed to find my groove. Thankfully, here in Australia we're doing a lot better than elsewhere, covid wise, and I'm so sorry to all of you who are living through very different circumstances and who may have lost loved ones or be experiencing the long term effects of covid, whether on your health or on your employment. Personally, my employment situation isn't great, at least as far as academia goes. I was on recurring semester long contracts, but my dept isn't hiring any sessionals at the moment. I mean, I probably wouldn't be going for a job now any way because I'm looking after my kids full time, but the future ain't looking so bright there either. I guess we'll see. But for the first time in a long while I've dusted off my academic software, reorganised my desktop, and started working again. I have a manuscript for an article that I’ve been working on (and reworking and revising). I got some feedback from it when it was knocked back from a journal that I had been working to incorporate before my second kid was born. Just never quite got around to finishing it. So I’ve been working on that. And I’m starting to use the Obsidian-Zettelkasten system to start pushing my thinking in new directions. I’ve begun reading some more Ricoeur (although my after-the-kids-have-gone-to-bed starting time makes my brain fog very quickly). I’m really excited about the Zettelkasten system. It’s the first thing I’ve encountered so far that really works to the strengths of my associative style of thinking. Very much looking forward to getting more into it. And I’ve revised my input system for primary and secondary sources, refined them. Thinking about the Zettelkasten has helped me to refine those as well.

Getting started again on my academic work now is good in a way because next year I’ll be starting to get a bit of working time back again with my youngest starting daycare. Just one day a week, but it will be a bit of time that I can dedicate to working on this. As I said above, I doubt that a job will come out of any of this - it’s a super tough market. The 12,000 academic jobs lost here in Australia don’t count all the people like me who only ever got sessional contracts. But I still want to do it. I enjoy working on stuff like this. It’s what makes me feel alive and vibrant. And I have unfinished business because I know that I can do it. And when I know that I can do something that I really want to do, I tend to keep at it until I finish. I’m very lucky though that my partner has a job that earns enough and is dependable enough to let me work as I see fit, at least for now.

As much as there seems to be a lot of fandom wank going around at the moment, I’m kind of glad to see that DA fandom is still going. I’m still totally caught on DA2, and really want to get back to writing in that universe for my F!Hawke. I keep having random ideas float into my brain that I want to do something with, but right now I have such limited time that I’m focusing on my academic work instead of fandom stuff. Perhaps when I take a break from the serious stuff I might play with some fun words.

I’m so glad to see you all are still out there having fun! It feels like coming back home. <3

#phdfan talks

I am actually doing some work! I have been struggling lately not only with physical illness but a deep-seated anxiety over my academic work that has made even contemplating putting fingers to keys impossible. I feel like I’m finally coming out of the other side of both of those things, and have actually managed to do two (2) Pomodoros of work, which is an ∞% increase in where I was.

So yay! Go me?

#phdfan talks #about illness #and mental illness

I’ve found myself really missing writing about Fenris and F!Hawke lately. I’ve been revising some of the chapters from my thesis where I talk about Fenris, and it’s really made me want to revisit these two and their relationship with Anders. I’m really missing fandom as a whole, and I wish I had more time. But I might try to fit in some late night writing time as a treat to myself.

#phdfan talks

PhD student problems:

Running into another student you haven't seen for awhile: to ask them about their phd project, or to not ask them about their phd project?

I don't want to be the catalyst for existential angst, but I also know nothing else I have in common with them. :/

(Answer: An awkward how's... everything?... going?)

(Don't mention the war)

#phdfan talks

Me: I'll just Tumble until 10am.

Me:

Me: *looks at clock, it's 11:30am*

Me: Shit.

#right now #phdfan talks #I realise this is not anywhere near as bad as it could have been #it just happens ALL THE TIME