#stream research

[streamacademe]

Week 123, Day 855.

Despite feeling burnt out, I managed to have a fairly productive rest of the week following my steering group meeting. Taking Wednesday off was an extremely good idea. Aside from a dentist appointment where I was told that I need a wisdom tooth out (joy), I spent most of the time attending to my neglected garden, baking, and snoozing with the cat. It was a really healing day and I’m  grateful to myself for finding time to recharge. 🔋 

Photo: The most delicious peanut butter and popcorn cake I made on Wednesday. 10/10 recommend unless you have a nut allergy; there are A LOT of peanuts in this recipe. Thanks Co-op! Source: Phone camera.

I spent Thursday doing something I haven’t done since 2017, which was updating my CV and writing a cover letter for a made up industry based role. As part of my PhD, my doctorate centre (STREAM) organises activities throughout the year that all students are required to attend. These usually take on the form of a couple of weeks away with one of the host universities where we work on a variety of different skill sets e.g. presentation, communication, time management, team work, etc. This year, I am attending 3 such weeks, with the first one focusing on life after the PhD, for which the cover letter and CV are part of the prep. Although it took me all day, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy I found it to construct both. It also made me recognise how many new skills I have acquired over the last couple of years. 🦉📚 

The deadline for the CV and letter isn’t until the end of February, but as I currently have a 35 point to-do list, which just keeps on growing, I decided to make Thursdays my ‘random to-do list’ days, whereby I pick something from the list at random and try to do as much of that task as possible. Time management 101. 💪🏻

Friday was a typical researchers day at the office, which involves spending 80% of your time gathering and organising data, 5% eating snacks, 5% panicking about the usefulness of said data, and 10% analysing it. 

Photo: Work mood. Source: @rubyetc​

Last night, I had another wave of panicked insomnia, worrying that I don’t have what it takes to finish this PhD. However, I have found that the best way to get over that is to get up, drink a strong caffeinated drink, and just keep going, which sounds easy, it’s not, but it is literally the only way. You’re welcome. ☕ On a lighter note, mum came to visit this weekend and we spent most of our time in the Peak District. Go to nature more, it’s awesome. 🌿 I am off to Wales and Scotland again in the next few weeks. Wales to rummage through Welsh Water databases (sadly, supervised) for necessary project data, and Scotland to maintain some and install other sampling equipment! 

Have a good and wholesome week!

Photo: Langsett - Peak District; top job, nature, top job. Source: Phone camera.

[streamacademe]

Week 130, Day 904.

How have I been doing this for over 900 days, omg?! I have definitely been chiselled into a much more resilient human being over these last 130 weeks. Some of this resilience came through during last weeks training course, which was both extremely useful and very hard work. I will be sharing some of the taught material in the next few weeks, which will cover: thesis writing, grant/fellowship applications, viva expectations and prep, constructing a winning CV and cover letter, and getting ready for a job interview. 📝

One of the challenges from last week was to write a 5 page grant application in less than 8 hours. Committing all of the energy and brain power I had to the task paid off as I was one of two winners for ‘best grant proposal’. 🎉

Photo: Me receiving the prize for ‘best grant proposal’. Source: Phone camera. 

With the intensity of last week, I had no time left on any of the days to do project work, which means I am a bit swamped with tasks on my ever-growing ‘to do’ list. However, in light of the coronavirus pandemic, most of the events and meetings in my calendar are being cancelled, freeing up some much desired time. ✨ The only thing I will comment on the coronavirus situation is that this is a time when we need to look out for one another, not become self-absorbed hermits, looking out for ones own arses. 🛒

A little while ago, I mentioned that having reward incentives is a great motivator to keep going when the going gets tough. I did exactly this by booking a spa day with some friends last weekend. It was a much needed break after the week away and meant that whatever happened, I had something to look forward to. We went to Aqua Sana in Sherwood forest, which I can’t recommend enough! It was so chill that I actually fell asleep in one of their ‘rest rooms’, which is extraordinary for someone who is anxious in all new and exposed places. 🌲

Anyhow, I better get back to the grind. I leave you with the following quote, which is very appropriate for the current situation we are all in...

“Sometimes when you’re feeling buried, you’re actually just planted.” - C. Caine

Photo: Pining for summer. Source: Phone camera.

[streamacademe]

Week 94, Day 651.

I hate to say it, but this is going to be yet another short ‘I have no energy or time’ sort of post. However, my ‘to do’ list has decreased from 36 items to 29, so I count that as a major improvement on last week. Our house move and all tasks related to it are also almost fully complete, so that’s another huge relief! 🌟

I am currently away with my doctorate centre, STREAM on our annual challenge week, which is jam-packed with tasks, activities, and well, challenges... For example, today one of our group challenges was to engineer a water filtration system good enough to purify astronaut urine. My team came second, which I was super stoked about as none of us knew anything about filtration, whereas the team that came first had their own water filtration expert! 💧

Tomorrow, we have our annual STREAM conference; this year it is held at my old workplace, Severn Trent. It is weird enough me staying in Coventry (where I used to live) for the week, let alone going back to my old company, with a completely different perspective on the water sector and life in general. I am definitely looking forward to it. 🌾

Aside from the conference, we have a crazy week ahead, so I’m going to go to bed now. But before I go...

A little on minimalism and sustainability...

I have finally started turning off my phone at work and by Jove it has been the most productive decision I have ever made; it gives me so much more clarity and focus. 11/10 recommend. 📴

I have decided to set myself a new minimalism challenge: I have counted all of my clothes, shoes, accessories, jewellery, etc. and am not allowed to buy any of these types of items until January 2020. Alongside my backwards hanger challenge, I am hoping to decrease the number of at least some of these items by April 2020 (the end date of the hanger challenge).📿 👗👠

And on that note, have an awesome week you beautiful people!

Photo: Me with our hand-made filtration system. Source: Someone else’s camera.

[streamacademe]

Week 82, Day 569.

As I’d predicted, last week was extremely busy, but mostly in a fun way. I successfully managed to balance the TSEL course with essential aspects of my project work, which I was proud of myself for. The week also gave me the opportunity to socialise with my cohort, which was really nice. Needless to say, I was absolutely drained by the end and still haven’t fully recovered. However, I’m trying hard (but probably not hard enough) to give myself more opportunities to rest, and I’m also trying to have a more relaxed attitude towards the mound of things I have to achieve. I am starting to understand just how important this is, but I’m not very good at it yet * cracks open a can of red bull *. 💤

The TSEL week was about teamwork, communication, coaching, and self-assessment skills. We also had to come up with a novel idea and write a business plan about it, which my team won. In short, we came up with a website/app for craft beer drinkers, and it was so good that I now too am an avid craft beer drinker. Who knew. 🍺

My PhD is getting busier and busier and I’m feeling overwhelmed, but also excited because things are moving forward, even if that does mean that I am becoming more and more swamped. Gah. 

Despite all of the many challenges of being in a long distance relationship it was our 2 year anniversary last week ♥ and we ended up celebrating by doing a Wolf Run together yesterday, which is a 10K of wild running with woods, obstacles, lakes, and fields. 🐺 The water was absolutely freezing and I had to be rescued by a kayak from one of the water bodies because my upper body seized up, the cold winded me, I couldn’t breathe, and started to sink. :’) But I survived, and treated myself to a Bailey’s hot chocolate afterwards. ☕ 

Finally, I’d like to finish this very scattered post (just like my brain) with mentioning an eye opening new series called Our Planet on Netflix. 🌍 I have hyperlinked the website for the series, which also gives many tips on how to do your part in preserving our natural world and saving the planet. You can also calculate your carbon footprint. 🐾 I was shocked at how high mine was; I thought I was quite sustainable. Admittedly, mine is quite low in food (I do my best to never waste), stuff (trying to be minimalist), and at home (energy saving/recycling), but very high in travel. Unfortunately, there is no way around this for me as I have to travel A LOT for work. However, I always cycle or walk any reasonable distances (under 6 miles), so I do what I can. 🚲

Anyhow, have an awesome week and see what positive difference you can make in your workplace/relationship/lifestyle. 

Peace. Photo: What it feels like looking towards the end of my PhD. But it’s cool, I’m a wolf runner now, I’ll get over those mountains, even if I do need a rescue boat from time to time. Source: Google.

[streamacademe]

Week 65, Day 449.

I don’t have much to vent about this week, but do have a few things to report.

Firstly, I managed to drive 240 miles without killing anyone last week, which I class as a success. Especially, as Enterprise gave me a tank of a car to drive, or to be more precise, a Ford Kuga; even on the image from Wikipedia it does not fit into its allocated parking space. The STREAM Christmas dinner was nice; however, I was disappointed by the lack of effort from most of our cohort to attend.

On Friday, I gave a long presentation on my work to our water distribution research group. Despite being tired from a long drive, it went really well, so that was reassuring. However, I am still struggling with the whole self-motivation thing right now. I’m hoping this is just a phase, which will pass after Christmas. I really can’t afford to feel like this right now. 

I did have an awesome/relaxing weekend with two of my closest friends that I hadn’t seen in a while. We literally did nothing but drink, eat Chinese food, catch up, and watch films. However, my washing machine perished on Sunday, which put a dampener on the weekend. In fact, I have clearly been internalising a lot of stress, as I cried on the kitchen floor in a fetal position for about 20 minutes when it broke, whilst my cat circulated me demanding food. It was a rough evening. I still feel a bit meh today, but have booked tickets to Russia for next year; the prospect of seeing my family has cheered me up a bit. 🌟 Basically, if I was to describe the last week and how I currently feel, the word ‘meh’ comes to mind. It’s supposed to be raining all day tomorrow, so I’m going to spend it at home, and hopefully adhere to my GANTT chart. Although I desperately want to crawl up into a ball and sleep, whilst also simultaneously inhaling chocolate. 

Here’s a festive photo of my cat for anyone who also feels a little rubbish this week.