Can I just be a doctor now, please?
I have reached that fabled stage of the PhD. The one where you’re sick and bored of the sight and existence of the thesis.
#storypast: Common People, by Alison Light
As promised last week, this week’s blog is about the ‘Storying the Past’ session me, Helen Rogers, and Simon Briercliffe ran at the Social History Society conference, concurrently with a Twitter conversation.
Social History Society Conference, Lancaster University, 21st-23rd March 2016
This week I made my annual trek to the Social History Society Conference, which has become a highlight in my calendar.
95,926 words, 364 pages, 1013 references and no conclusion
Is it really a full draft if it doesn’t have a conclusion?
Postgrad Careers Day
The time to search for jobs is getting closer and closer. This week, I did myself a favour (unlike when I was a cocky undergrad) and went to a careers day aimed at postgrads.
Juvenilia: A Ghost Story
Jumping ahead from the other juvenilia I’ve posted, enjoy this short ghost story and my slightly-puzzled commentary. I think it’s just about readable.
My Favourite Kind-Of-History-Related Podcasts
…well, maybe not so much ‘favourite’ as just ‘all the ones I listen to because I’ve only just got into podcasts and am working my way through a few different ones.’ And my favourite podcast of all is The Black Tapes, which I couldn’t relate to history if I tried. But yeah, podcasts. Didn’t really used to bother with them, because I’d have rather been listening to music or reading, now something to listen to between going to bed and going to sleep, or in the bath (less risk of soggy technology death with a phone on the floor than a Kindle in the bath). Now I have ones I particularly like and everything.
In which I miss studying early modern America
I’ve mentioned a few times on here that I tended towards the early modern period for my BA and MA, and switched to 1850-1950 for my PhD purely to make the ‘only children’ idea viable. I still carry a torch for the early modern period, as demonstrated by my decision to teach on the first-year course. In my third year of my BA, my special subject was ‘The English in America, 1607-92′, and a few things I’ve come across and read recently have reminded me of what I learned and how interesting I found it.
Things found in second-hand books
When I was reading autobiographies, I became well-aquainted with a number of Amazon Marketplace dealers, selling what I needed for 1p (+ £2.80 postage and packaging). The pre-loved books I’ve received have all been in readable condition, and I even want to hold on to some of them after I’ve finished because they’re interesting, look nice, or are just delightfully old. A few have inscriptions and other such bits in them, which provide a small window into their previous lives.
‘I’m Just a Little Bit Scared of What Comes After’
This thesis is getting finished in the next few months. There’s little doubt about that. It’ll be cool to not have to work on it any more, and to be a doctor. But honestly, I’m terrified about what’s going to happen after that.