Birthday & A Bubbling Brain

PhD on pause! (Internship Week 3)

Hello friends 🥳

I had a wonderful birth-week! Very sore from my massage yesterday and, yet, I am planning on going back. Between that and doing a PhD, I reckon I am a glutton for punishment.

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📆 Activities 🛼

• Monday 10 February. Line manager 1:1; Division EDI working group meeting; Disability User Group meeting; Birthday Discord call with friends

• Tuesday 11 February. Res Dev team workshop; evening Hidden Worlds call with Neil

• Wednesday 12 February. AM. Consultation meeting; Neurodiversity week planning meeting; How to Do Research and Get Published SAGE webinar; Publishing in Health and Medical Humanities evening webinar

• Thursday 13 February. Therapy

• Friday 14 February. Enabling Research Cultures online event (UCLan)

• Saturday 15 February. Deep Tissue Massage 💥

• Sunday 16 February. Phonecall catch up with brother

😵‍💫 Head Full 🤯

Somehow, in the process of taking a ‘time out’ from my PhD for this internship, my mind is more active thinking of different things I want to do than ever. Of course, there’s getting the Hidden Worlds book together - that is the top priority.

I’m also progressing with implenting the email template, which is turning into another mini project in itself. Next stop for that is producing a video. But other members of the team also want to publish on it which I am half excited about and half just lost. As the researcher, they are expecting me to take the lead on this but I am totally inexperienced, especially in terms of writing a practice-based article! Anyway, this requires designing a proper methodology, writing a data management plan, doing all the ethics checks, then actually writing the damn thing. It will be a learning experience, at least.

I should also get around to writing a journal article based on my sonic aid chapter. Though, that may just have to wait until I am back working on chapter revisions (i..e after the internship.)

In the mean time, there are two funding competitions in the university for projects to enhance research culture. I have quite a few ideas about targeted support for disabled researchers that are beyond the scope (and budget) of my internship. Everything from know-your-rights training, to an accessible conference, to running something like the University of Kent’s Summer Vacation Research Competition. Selfishly, if I was successful in securing the funding, that would also look quite good on my CV. Regardless, I could get some experience at writing grant proposals.

On top of that, I am thinking about my post-PhD trajectory, potential fellowships and new project proposals. At least that can wait a while longer, but I have a more solid idea than previously. But to realise that idea, I would have to build some networks and do some training on research methods. With that in mind, I am looking at short courses on co-production and participatory action research later this year. I should be able to pay for through my studentship’s training grant.

Tangentally, I have seen a few advertisements for free online courses on coding. Although I don’t think I have much desire to learn Python, learning R would probably be useful from a data anlaysis and visualisation perspective. This one is more self-indulgent than the other projects, with no immediate, direct benefit.

I want to do everything all at once. My heart is willing. But, let’s be honest, my flesh is pretty weak. And my head is full to bursting. Unsure at this point whether it is a good or a bad thing.

Cards will be staying up indefinitely

🧩 Entertainment 📺

• 📘 Finished reading The Real Deal ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• 📖 Started Reading Tiny Little Raindrops

• 📺 Watching Love Island: All Stars, and Parenthood

• 📺 Started watching Fantasy High (Dimension 20), Sick Note, Apple Cider Vinegar and the new season of Waterloo Road

• 🎮 Played Legend of Zelda and Roller Coaster Tycoon

• 🎨 Swatched my birthday acrylic markers

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