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This Week in Specifics
Apr. 28th, 2019 03:11 pmIn my last post, I gave readers a sense of how I've been spending my time since finishing up, but there were a lot of generalisations and oversights there: as I pointed out, I don't always get around to everything I want to accomplish each day, and I made no mention of, you know, going outside or meeting people? Which are sort of necessary components for a healthy life? So let's do a recap of the week in the hope that the image of a more well-rounded individual will emerge.
On Sunday, my mother spent the day in Blackrock, where my sisters now live. In January, Jane and Claire, both now equipped with full-time jobs, finally succeeded in moving out. The search took about two or three months, which wasn't too intensive, but certainly, the househunting did not put them in high spirits! Meaning we were all the more delighted that they received a fortuitous phone call after Christmas, informing them that two other potential tenants had pulled out of a flat they had wanted to see. The landlord/landlady (husband and wife, dentists, I think - one of them, anyway) wanted two new occupants rather quickly, and thus the estate agent was willing to hand it to them on a platter, more or less, if they could get the money together. Presumably, the other tenants couldn't get the deposit ready (after Christmas is a good time to be searching for a flat, when everyone is broke until February or March, I think), so, serendipitously, one pair's loss was another's gain. We've visited them a couple of times since they moved out (usually it's a combination of us wanting to catch up, and them wanting advice/my dad's DIY skills), but last weekend, just my mother spent the day with them. And I am now firmly convinced that they have found one of the best spots in Cork to set up camp. The weather was amazing last Sunday, sure, and everywhere looks great in a summery haze, but they have an utterly fantastic walkway near their house that sits adjacent to the water, and the three of them (my mother and sisters) took some picturesque photographs. There's still plenty to do nearby - there's shops, cafés, and their workplaces are both within walking distance as well - but the actual landscape/environment is lush.
On Friday, I went to what may well be my last Bookends: the School of English Postgraduate Conference that I've contributed to about three or four times (most notably last year, when I gave a plenary lecture). As I've detailed in my earlier posts, I'm not lamenting the loss of my PhD status. I'm happy to be finished, as even though Faulkner will never outstay his welcome, writing, research, revision, and - worst of all - the constant, nagging search for approval/good grades, certainly grow old. But Bookends is a friendly, comfortable environment in which - akin to Cheers - everybody knows your name. Academic conferences are usually arid affairs, because everyone has to feign interest in highfalutin theories of which you know nothing of; at the same time, everyone is too preoccupied with their own paper to muster much enthusiasm for the rest of it. But Bookends, and the Irish Association of American Studies conferences, are a lot more stimulating. The literary contingent is strong in both, of course, but as well as that, the people are very nice, and that's what makes it, really. I contributed to a panel at this year's conference regarding the PhD experience: what changed about my thesis from beginning to end, and what turning points there were throughout the degree that affected me/my topic. As always, I enjoy dispensing advice - I go out of my way to reflect on these teaching and learning points, periodically, to ensure that if I'm ever asked, I'll have a tip or recommendation. Learning from my own mistakes so that I can make things easier for the next person. I didn't do this, but I would encourage you to do it, etc.
The PhD teaches you a lot about the kind of person you are, I think. What part of the experience did you enjoy the most? What skill are you most happy to have acquired? Your answers will be telling... and certainly, the standout moments for me were when I was presenting, teaching, or providing feedback... Any kind of knowledge exchange or guidance-giving. It's rewarding, important, and unlike the intellectual onanism that a PhD would resemble if it were a completely solitary experience. I'm not the most social or outgoing person, obviously - my idea of a night on the tiles would probably involve learning how to play mahjong - but it's nice to know that there are people to support you, and people whom you can support. If you're considering a PhD, learn how to integrate yourself within that system - at least to some small extent.
On Tuesday, I also went to see Missing Link, the latest film by the animation geniuses at LAIKA. Kubo and the Two Strings was one of the best films of 2016, and while this story of a Victorian-era explorer trying to reunite a sasquatch with the last of its kind probably isn't as good as that was, it is genuinely funny, moving, and a masterpiece of stop-motion animation. LAIKA don't get enough credit (or profit), despite the fact that their films take years to make, and are better than Pixar or Disney's on every conceivable level. So do Travis Knight's studio a favour, and go see it now. Before Endgame.
On Sunday, my mother spent the day in Blackrock, where my sisters now live. In January, Jane and Claire, both now equipped with full-time jobs, finally succeeded in moving out. The search took about two or three months, which wasn't too intensive, but certainly, the househunting did not put them in high spirits! Meaning we were all the more delighted that they received a fortuitous phone call after Christmas, informing them that two other potential tenants had pulled out of a flat they had wanted to see. The landlord/landlady (husband and wife, dentists, I think - one of them, anyway) wanted two new occupants rather quickly, and thus the estate agent was willing to hand it to them on a platter, more or less, if they could get the money together. Presumably, the other tenants couldn't get the deposit ready (after Christmas is a good time to be searching for a flat, when everyone is broke until February or March, I think), so, serendipitously, one pair's loss was another's gain. We've visited them a couple of times since they moved out (usually it's a combination of us wanting to catch up, and them wanting advice/my dad's DIY skills), but last weekend, just my mother spent the day with them. And I am now firmly convinced that they have found one of the best spots in Cork to set up camp. The weather was amazing last Sunday, sure, and everywhere looks great in a summery haze, but they have an utterly fantastic walkway near their house that sits adjacent to the water, and the three of them (my mother and sisters) took some picturesque photographs. There's still plenty to do nearby - there's shops, cafés, and their workplaces are both within walking distance as well - but the actual landscape/environment is lush.
On Friday, I went to what may well be my last Bookends: the School of English Postgraduate Conference that I've contributed to about three or four times (most notably last year, when I gave a plenary lecture). As I've detailed in my earlier posts, I'm not lamenting the loss of my PhD status. I'm happy to be finished, as even though Faulkner will never outstay his welcome, writing, research, revision, and - worst of all - the constant, nagging search for approval/good grades, certainly grow old. But Bookends is a friendly, comfortable environment in which - akin to Cheers - everybody knows your name. Academic conferences are usually arid affairs, because everyone has to feign interest in highfalutin theories of which you know nothing of; at the same time, everyone is too preoccupied with their own paper to muster much enthusiasm for the rest of it. But Bookends, and the Irish Association of American Studies conferences, are a lot more stimulating. The literary contingent is strong in both, of course, but as well as that, the people are very nice, and that's what makes it, really. I contributed to a panel at this year's conference regarding the PhD experience: what changed about my thesis from beginning to end, and what turning points there were throughout the degree that affected me/my topic. As always, I enjoy dispensing advice - I go out of my way to reflect on these teaching and learning points, periodically, to ensure that if I'm ever asked, I'll have a tip or recommendation. Learning from my own mistakes so that I can make things easier for the next person. I didn't do this, but I would encourage you to do it, etc.
The PhD teaches you a lot about the kind of person you are, I think. What part of the experience did you enjoy the most? What skill are you most happy to have acquired? Your answers will be telling... and certainly, the standout moments for me were when I was presenting, teaching, or providing feedback... Any kind of knowledge exchange or guidance-giving. It's rewarding, important, and unlike the intellectual onanism that a PhD would resemble if it were a completely solitary experience. I'm not the most social or outgoing person, obviously - my idea of a night on the tiles would probably involve learning how to play mahjong - but it's nice to know that there are people to support you, and people whom you can support. If you're considering a PhD, learn how to integrate yourself within that system - at least to some small extent.
On Tuesday, I also went to see Missing Link, the latest film by the animation geniuses at LAIKA. Kubo and the Two Strings was one of the best films of 2016, and while this story of a Victorian-era explorer trying to reunite a sasquatch with the last of its kind probably isn't as good as that was, it is genuinely funny, moving, and a masterpiece of stop-motion animation. LAIKA don't get enough credit (or profit), despite the fact that their films take years to make, and are better than Pixar or Disney's on every conceivable level. So do Travis Knight's studio a favour, and go see it now. Before Endgame.
