Hello wonderful humans how are you doing on this lovely day? The sun is shining, it's
quite warm, I'm wearing a thick jumper this could have been a mistake. But, that is not
the point. Today you're going to follow me and see what a typical University of Birmingham
PhD humanities student does.
It is currently seven minutes past ten. I'm not a morning person so I got up at like half
nine and I'm going to work from home for a bit and then I need to head into university
for various things. So let's go get breakfast.
So this is pretty much the breakfast I have everyday. It's super simple, it's literally
hummus with tomatoes and I don't know if I got it from anywhere I kind of just did it
one day as I thought it sounded good and I was trying to get a sugar free healthy breakfast.
Cause I have a sugar addiction and this has been the only one I've been able to stick
to. I've been having it for two/three weeks now, which for me is a long time. Breakfast
is a meal I struggle with my entire life to eat a) healthy and b) actually eat at all.
So, this is a win in my book. But it's super simple to do, takes hardly anytime at all.
To be honest the longest section is waiting for the toast to be ready and probably cutting
the tomatoes.
It doesn't look that fancy here but that is the end result.
So I'm currently in my study, it's quite cute I don't think I've ever shown my study before.
Let me get a good view for you. So that's my little study space. I need to do some writing
this morning and possibly a few other things. I basically have a deadline due for my supervisor
on Friday, which is 8,000 words. Currently I'm at 4,000ish. It'll be fine, that's what
I keep telling myself. Tell myself that all the time! But it will be fine. So I'm going
to do some work, then I have to head into university at 2pm and it's now about 10:30am.
So haven't got that long.
It is quarter past one, I've been working since about 10:30 so that's not too bad. I
got quite a bit done today actually. I finished the section I was writing on gay romances
and how they are different from M/M romances and the politics behind them and how they
grew as a genre. That's what my thesis is partly about so that was quite interesting
to me, but I don't know if it'll be interesting to anyone else. Now I have about 45 minutes
till I need to leave for university where I'm going to be recording a podcast all about
sustainability. We'll see how that goes. I've never done a podcast before so I'm a little
bit nervous. Oh also I wear this because otherwise my hand hurts when I type, in case you were
curious I wasn't wearing it at the start of the video, I just wear it when I'm doing lots
of laptop work because I move my hand in a weird way and it stretches it and causes me
problems. It's saying called Tendonitis. So I wear this and I have this special thing,
makes me feel like an old lady but it helps. So yes I have 45 minutes to continue reading
The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, which is the book I'm reading at the moment that
I'm quite enjoying as well. So I'll check back in when I'm getting to leave for university.
So I actually got a phone call just as I was leaving the house, which wasn't the best timing.
So now I'm even later but it was one of those phone calls you have to take, like a doctor's
phone call. I'm trying to speed walk to the university which I'm not good at at the best
of times but hopefully I get there on time.
We've arrived at the university!
I'm doing my video for the university today, it's a day in my life so this is getting recorded.
Beth: We had to press play and stop. Lucy: Yeah I've never done a podcast before
so Beth: it's alright!
Lucy: How long is it? Ellie: However long you want
Beth: We aimed for like 30 to 40 minutes last time just because we imagine that is how long
a student will listen for
Rumali: My reusable water bottle is very cool, not maybe people have it and I feel pretty
awesome when I walk around with it. Beth: Could we do home, university and something?
Rumali: But I think being sustainable as a student is all university based?
Lucy: But we could do different sections, so how do you live sustainably in like your
beauty regime, how do you live sustainably in your studying. There's different things
you can split it into. Beth: Yeah, like in the English department
they have a book sharing thing so second years can buy final years books, so you don't have
to keep buying them. But at home, as in my student house, we use a renewable energy supplier.
Courtney: Also public transport, and what you can do when you are out and about to actually
be sustainable as well because that is part of being a student. Would we bring up, the
argument that it is expensive? Would we argue any of these points?
Lucy: Should we maybe start recording? I'm conscious we're talking without recording!
Rumali: So food, beauty, household and out and about
Courtney: In the general capacity! Rumali: Gorgeous, I'm happy with that
So that is where we were recording and we've just finished and I think it was a pretty
good podcast. So now I've got 30 minute break before I start my next stuff. So let's see
what I go do!
I'm now heading to my favourite room on campus, the PGR suite in Arts building. Campus is
actually getting pretty cute at the moment. It's a sunny day for once, blue skies. Which
doesn't often happen in Birmingham.
And as usual the PGR suite is completely empty, just for me!
Lucy: I'm actually recording you! Liam: Ah okay, do you know if Amy will be
able to make it? Lucy: I don't know if Amy will be able to
make it. Amy is my supervisor, but I haven't spoken to her recently. I'm assuming she's
coming as she was helping organise it. Liam: She...
Lucy: This is Liam by the way, say hello to Youtube
Liam: 2nd year PhD Student Lucy: Yeah he sort of walked in while I was
recording so now he's just being lumped into the video
Liam: Ah I moved house this morning. Lucy: Ooo, that's exciting!
And now I'm in the wonderful PGR suite, which I have instagrammed before and talked about
a lot because it's kind of my go to place on campus. I have half an hour, probably less
than more I need to go to in/of problems of the Contemporary, which Liam is sort of organising
or has helped organised. We were just chatting about it, I don't really know what it involves
still but I'm going along for the ride and I will bring you with me.
Liam: but I was kind of thinking, generally for everyone who would like to speak about
their research do a three minute thesis style this is what I'm into. Very voluntary and
optional. Then just speak a bit about some of the issues of periodisation, genre, canonisation
and how these things impact our research. or just go on tangents.
Liam: I argue that endotexts don't restrict it necessarily but they push it in a different
direction. Certainly critical endotexts.
David: Whether that is an issue with genre where you have certain optics, like the gothic
genre is particular of that optic.
So we just finished the in and of the contemporary, so it was a two hour chat. Kind of about problems
with researching the contemporary. I tried to record bits of it, so you will have seen
that. And now grabbing some dinner and go play Dungeons and Dragons. So I will show
you a bit of that.
Rhys: So this passage winds down into a basement
Rhys: So it is five feet by five for each square. So it costs ten to jump onto something
Claudia: The corner of the room so I can get the most possible.
Rhys: Firstly you get to -
I am now back home, it's nearly 11 at night so I ended up getting the bus back because
it was kind of late when we finished D&D. But that is a fairly typical day in my PhD
life. So a bit of work, bit of fun and some department stuff with the issues of the contemporary
event that was a fun collection of people studying contemporary stuff and some of the
problems we face in it.
I hope you enjoyed this, if you did give it a subscribe, a comment. I don't usually do
that so feels a bit awkward. But yeah. I hope you enjoyed by little day in my life video
as a Birmingham PhD student. Bye!