As per the suggestion from Derek Sivers … this is what is going on in my life right now.
Looking for … academic connections, networks, support, advice etc (it takes more than a village to raise an academic)
Latest Update 30th May 2023
PhD – tomorrow I go away for two nights, a little mini-retreat to write and think about engagement, what it means to me, what I have read about it, what I want to do about it. I cannot wait. Still using Logseq to make notes.
Personal – the last few weeks have been a struggle, I am so tired even after a decent sleep and that affects everything else, especially my mood. Wanting to cry, or actually crying, and not knowing why is frustrating. Everything in my life feels so good, just the usual everyday things, but mostly great. So why do I feel like this?
Reading – all over the place because my brain is out of sorts. Graduated on to Wise Man’s Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss and also enjoying Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Writing – finished the narrative non-fiction course. It has relit my desire to write, got me back into some kind of groove. I now need to keep that groove going. Looking for other courses later in the year. (note: while I have enjoyed the course and got a lot from it, I am not doing anything that means being online after 7pm at night. I am NOT at my best)
Fun – I think this could be fun, I am going to see Roger Waters in concert with my partner. I’m not a Pink Floyd fan at all but willing to go with an open mind.
Stationery – I have been flitting about from notebook to notebook for years, trying this system and that. I love using a fountain pen and my daughter introduced me to Midori notebooks, which took me on a path the the Traveller’s Notebook system. I wish I’d done this years ago. Compact enough to fit in my Wall-E Loungefly bag, adaptable to my needs, lovely to write on with a fountain pen. So, that gets carried around and holds my diary, thoughts, and learning Italian. I use the Midori A5 grid for my morning pages and journal. Fountain pens are LAMY Al-Star with EF nib.
Still splitting my time between home and Glasgow, sporadic attempts at learning Italian, looking forward to visiting friends in the UK and Europe over the coming year.
5th May 2023
PhD – have words to write, words around words like epistemology and worldviews and methodologies. Changed from Obsidian to LogSeq as I prefer the way it works for connecting thoughts. Decided against Notion – while I do like it and know it could be useful I am aware of it being kept in servers elsewhere, whereas LogSeq is local (although it does get backed up to Microsoft servers). Pros and cons but decided on this way.
Personal – reading Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey. Only a couple of chapters in but finding it is making aware of where my focus is at any moment of the day.
Writing – still with the narrative non-fiction course (two more sessions to go) and wondering what I should do next to keep my writing habit on track and also uplevel my writing skills.
Fun – Re-reading ‘Name of the Wind‘ by Patrick Rothfuss, may be going to see Roger Waters ‘Life is not a Drill’ tour and definitely going to see Iron Maiden in June. I also have a two-night break at the Retreat Studio to look forward to.
Still splitting my time between home and Glasgow, sporadic attempts at learning Italian, looking forward to visiting friends in the UK and Europe over the coming year.
21st April 2023
PhD – lots of reading, currently “Understanding Design” by Kees Dorst which is helping me so much as I do not have a background in design research. Using Obsidian to make notes, Evernote to store snippets of stuff I find in various places. Working towards my 18 month appraisal.
Personal – reading “Effortless” by Greg McKeown, listening to Jay Shetty’s Daily Jay on the Calm app, trying out SlimPod to retrain my brain about food choices. Revisiting Better Creating’s Life OS for Notion to attempt to organise my life.
Writing – taking a Narrative Non-fiction writing course with Kathryn Aalto. Getting back into habits of writing.
Fun – re-reading parts of the Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey, currently on “Storm Breaking”.
Still splitting my time between home and Glasgow, sporadic attempts at learning Italian, looking forward to visiting friends in the UK and Europe over the coming year.