Hello friends 🤗
This week we re-grouped with most of the contributors for the Hidden Worlds volume to discuss chapter drafts, what our introduction should cover, and connections across all of the essays. It was a full-on two days and already feels like ages ago, since I have had so much else on the rest of the week: including hanging out with my favourite Jack Russell!
📆 Activities 🛼
Monday 15 April. Hidden worlds workshop and entertaining
Tuesday 16 April. Hidden Worlds workshop; EDI meeting; Office drinks
Wednesday 17 April. Oral history Interview; submitted Connecting + Sharing application
Thursday 18 April. Stood up by therapist; Peg-sitting
Friday 19 April. Peg-sitting; teaching prep.
Saturday 20 April. Peg-sitting; writing syllabus
Sunday 21 April. Peg-sitting; reading article submission for Ian
🌎 Hidden Worlds 🗣️
Although the workshop was EXHAUSTING, it was amazing to speak to people again, discuss the volume, and get feedback on my chapter. Everyone was super kind and positive with their feedback for me. I’m determined not to look a gift horse in the mouth, though part of me doesn’t believe them.
Consensus was that using the James Biggs story worked really well as a framing device for my chapter. It’s the first time I have written an essay that way, so I was quite proud of myself. Whether it is possible to replicate that in other pieces of writing I don’t know. This was the result of having a story that so perfectly converged with the message of my chapter - such alignment I think is rare. But at least now I know that I CAN do it, when the universe allows.
🧭 Going Forward with the Thesis 🗺️
Feeling a little directionless at the moment. Finished up my rewrite of chapter two, so now looking towards the next chapters. But I’m not sure what they are going to DO. There are a few directions they could go. I will need to take some time to actually THINK about it before attempting to write it up. It doesn’t help that I am still in the middle of doing my interviews!
In theory the next chapter could cover any (but not all) of the following topics:
The uneven development of long cane training across the country
Imagined users and actual users (who was included and excluded)
How long cane was promoted as modern, progressive, and scientific
Debates over personal and public safety
Experiments and measurements of long cane mobility
Valorisation of ‘independence’ via long cane training
Professional development of mobility officers and gatekeeping of mobility
Controversial and conflicting reception of long cane training
Adapting the American long cane and training to British context
Users adapting and subverting official long canes and training
Increased formalisation, standardisation , and regulation of mobility via the long cane
In an ideal world, I would cover EVERYTHING, but that won’t be possible if I want to finish within the three years. If I want to keep in the sonic aid chapter (which may need to be folded in to the rest of the thesis), I can only really spend one more chapter on the long cane. I’m already half way through my PhD now! Terrifying, really.
🧩 Entertainment 📺
📘 Finished reading The Fury. It was clever, got a bit more into it in the last third. 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Started reading The Probelm With Forever. Can already sense that I’m not going to finish this one. Feels like it is leaning towards too much of a romance for my taste
🃏 Played Sushi Go cardgame while out at Navarro with our Hidden Worlds guests. Didn’t win but I ended up getting quite into it actually!
🎮 Playing Zelda TOTK, it is a very impressive game. Holding a fire torch melts nearby icicles!
📺 Continuing to watch Married at First Sight Australia, Desperate Housewives and Hunted
📺 Watched the final episode of The Apprentice
Gosh a very busy and productive week. Not sure i can help with a suggestion for chapter 3. Perhaps spending just a little time visualising what the rest of it looks like as a whole and then pick what will get you to the next step.