The Flu brings clarity.

Is it flu or Covid? The PCR test will confirm that, but I lay here with aches through my body but the clearest mind in a long time.

Throwing myself from pillow to pillow last night, I was frustrated at the lack of sleep, and aware that I wasn't feeling very well. In my slumber, I heard a voice, telling me to do less, much less. It was the clearest voice in a long time.

I had hairdressing clients booked in today and Saturday; meetings, a chapter to write by the end of the month for my PhD, house to clean, eBay stuff to sell, and let's not get started on Mum and the care I need to do for her.

I was going to cancel everything and spend the next two weeks working from home and writing, but first, a couple of days off to get over this flu. I felt like it was a promise to myself. I have worked hard over the years, my body is screaming at me to stop, slow down, do what I absolutely love to do. I'm not going to last forever, none of us is. 

Wayne Dyer says, 'don't die with the music still in you,' and that's me and my books. I want and need to get them written and get them out there.

Self-doubt creeps in as I figure out what my Instagram page should look like if I'm a non-fiction author (and only a non-fiction author). The investment business is going ok, it should be making a profit within the next 4 years but it might not be enough to sustain things. Although I truly want to write the books, I want to promote that online life. Not interested in teaching people how to invest in property, even though I could. 

The voice was loud. And I woke with clarity.

The PhD is a passion. It's something that will teach me a lot about writing, academically, and getting published in all those places.  But, I'm definitely not going to do much with it after the PhD. I want to get my stories published and out there. and I will. 

I realised I hadn't heard back from the hospital. It was 15 days since my MRI. The one where they were looking for osteosarcoma. I couldn't get through on the phone. So I emailed the lady I had been speaking to. She was amazing. She was in a meeting when my email arrived and she quickly called me back. They had reviewed my MRI the day before and they were confident there was no malignancy! I smiled and blinked. Incredible. That means I get to keep my arm. I might need surgery. They aren't sure they can get me back to my full movement and omit the pain in my shoulder. And we have no idea what caused it. I'm going to suggest inflammation.  I need to work on that. Lose weight, be happier, drink less milk, lower my stress. It will all help, I know this. it's my area of expertise. 

Hearing all this news has me visualising myself at my desk, writing and formatting books. I know I can do it now, I had a best seller in 2020. I have ideas and half-written books galore. it's time to get serious about living my dream life. 

A professor lived here

 After having to make a complete fuss, which I really don't like to do, I have collected a key for an office.

Hurrah. It was something I imagined when I first applied for the PhD. I was wondering how I could write in the cold months without a candle, being sure that this wouldn't be allowed for safety reasons. My daughter smartly suggested a battery operated candle, you know, the ones which look like they flicker.

This is a temporary arrangement. Just while they sort out something else. I'm not sure where that other space might be. Doesn't matter too much, as long as it's close enough to a toilet. But having a key to an office means I can come in early, if early calls me, and start doing something. That might be a writing project, or something YouTuber-y. Not sure yet. I'm still trying to find a balance between doing the work I need to do for University and the work I'm doing for myself. Both are important. And I do need to work harder and smarter -100%.

There are a couple of trips coming up which will give me some time to listen to some audio books, read a little, Vlog and create some book material. That excites mean. Meanwhile, this dusty office seems to need a good clean. Next to me is the name of the Professor who was the bellowing gent everyone feared. A chemistry expert, who has retired now, and this was his office. His scribblings on the white board in front of me show reactions of RMgBr+NaCNBr and a whole load of OH...hydrogen peroxide, I think, if my undergrad science brain serves me right. 

It's nice in here. Dusty, but nice. And as I have just heard that I'm not back in the Covid safe role after this week, I'd best settle in for now. 

Writing effectively during your PhD

 Writing effectively during your PhD

 

Trying to cover everything will make your work seem diluted and the point you are trying to make will not be as strong as it needs to be. Sitting on the fence, or writing passively will make your work seem less convincing and actually, pretty descriptive. Descriptive is not the point. 

 

Position and perspective is the basis of the argument. It does not mean you are biased. Your opinion should reflect your engagement with, and embeddedness within the academic literature of the field 

 

The take-home message, or outcome, is the most important thing of all when you are writing a thesis. If you know the end destination, you can walk the reader through the points you are making. It often helps to imagine who your target audience is, or what the reader is like. You can go as far as to create a complete profile for this person, to make your message clearer. Give them a name, age, description, what their background is and what they want to gain from reading your paper. 

 

If you find that writing a chapter might be unclear in your mind, the structure is often the problem. Mind maps are good for getting ideas out of your head and onto the page, but when you are aiming for a plan, draw a starting point, and endpoint and fill the blanks linearly. Easier and clearer for you and therefore, your reader. Aim for the endpoint. What is your endpoint? What is your ‘so what?’

Ensuring Covid safety in the Library.

 Perfect. Perfect manifestation and perfect chance to do what I need.

 

Working from the library, well I say working, I am making sure people have their masks on properly and are socially distancing themselves from each other. May 2021. We are not far off of being out of lockdown. But this library is open, I am the person being paid to ensure Covid safety but at the same time, I can continue with my research. Wonderful.

Walking up and down and round and round takes about 1500 steps. So, I work for an hour, walk the steps, enforce what I need to, go to the loo, remove my mask, drink a bottle of water and get back to my desk to sit for another hour of research.  Today, it’s ethics, 

 

This is the perfect job. Working at home was less productive than it should have been.  So, I’m counting my blessings for sure. 

 

The sun is streaming into the light brick building today. As I walk, I see historic photos all around of a naval time gone by. Beautiful.

 

“erm…” I began,

“Yeah, listen up, before you need to get all aggy, innit, I am just….gotta ask him summin innit,” the student said as he saw me approaching with my clipboard and lanyard of officiality around my neck.

“and that mask needs to be up over your nose,”

He fiddled with it a bit, “ahh yeah, sorry about that,” his London accent shone through.

“What you studying?” I asked and before he had a chance to answer I continued, “ not biomedical sciences? Else you would know that a virus goes in your nose, and out of it,” his mate sniggered behind me.

“Yeah, no not Biomed, I’m one of the ones saving the lives innit.”

“Pharmaceutical science? Yeah well, let's hope that saves lives shall we?” 

His mate chucked and sniggered, They both did. They know, like me, that we just don’t know enough about these things right now. But we have to do what we can.

 

Science library. Feels a bit like a bit of me. Then I wander on and stumble to the area labelled, “Journalism, Psychology, Philosophy,” that’s a bit of me too. 

PhD starts here!

 PhD starts here

 

Awake fifteen minutes later than I asked my subconscious to rise, I remembered. You know that few minutes between being awake and the time when all feel peaceful? I smiled at that feeling. 

Ph.D. researcher. In a subject which I think, and hope, I’ll love. 

 

My routine was planned. Up at six, bath bomb bath, make up, dressed, kettle, at my desk by seven for an hour writing and journaling before beginning the new role at eight. 

Today, it’s registration. 

 

That wasn’t going well. They had stated that I had a ‘pass’ on my MA results. Cheek! It was 1% from a distinction.  So made a note in the ‘notes’ section. Informing them that it was a Merit. And that put a halt to everything! The system didn’t like my justice. It said I was unable to register.

 

I didn’t quite know who I should ring about the registration issue, but I tried lots of different numbers. After lots of holding, listening to the same tune over and over (which amused me), I managed to get hold of a very helpful lady. I didn’t quite catch her name with her accent, and I didn’t quite catch the department that she said I should be speaking to either. It was tricky for me to try and understand what she was saying,

“can you spell that please?” I asked, but even with the spelling, I didn’t understand. Even she said she doesn’t know what it stands for. I used the email address she had given me and tried to contact them to say that there was a problem with my registration.

 

Despite my best efforts to get the registration done nothing seemed to happen by the end of the day, I promised myself I would finish at 2 o’clock. Just before five, I started to pack up for the day. I felt it prudent to tidy my desk, take away the empty cups, throw the matches in the bin, from the morning when I lit a candle. I would know that by the following day I will could begin with a tidy desk.

 

I’d forgotten that I had Mike Dooley‘s course in the evening which was all about manifestations. That was golden. He told me things that I didn’t think I hadn’t known about the law of attraction, and manifestations, and at the end of the course which was an hour and a half long I had ascertained what I needed. I was about to get very general about what I wanted. It turns out I want to live in complete bliss and joy. And I began to wonder if the frustrations from the registration situation had got me in a place where I was too late to turn back.  Was this going to fill me with bliss? I wasn’t sure of the answer yet, but I did know this was absolutely the best scenario for me to be in. Oh, my undergraduate science degree didn’t quite fit it didn’t quite suit me, it didn’t quite seem to be gelling as well as I would’ve liked to. I think because I was possible least that it’s not just about one thing for one solution it’s about a holistic approach and they didn’t seem to agree with me with that in the science department sometimes. However, now we can look at things as a holistic approach with this new Ph.D. system, as well as bringing in the creative writing skills that I gained from my MA. With the MA it seemed that that course was better suited to those who wrote fiction. But for me it’s all about life stories, that’s all I read, it’s all I ever seem to want to write about as well. Although I have enjoyed dabbling in some fiction, non fiction is my ideal scenario. It’s great to play with stories and characters, and live out fantasies through them. Ultimately talking phenomenology of Covid and Crohn’s patients is going to be ideal. It brings in mindset and belief systems and perception. Wayne Dyer said, open “when you change the way you look at things, so things you look at change.” 

I loved his work. He was so gentle. And I really do believe that you can change the way things are by the way that you look at them. Although I must be super careful that I don’t bring this into my PhD work as the Ph.D. participants are sharing their own experience, And I need to tell the story as if it is their experience. So that the reader can walk in their shoes.