(Last Year’s) New Beginnings (and in Limbo)

I wrote the bulk of this post shortly after my graduation last year, but never posted it.  I have, in fact, just been through all my draft posts and deleted a fair number that are no lone relevant, but this one still serves! So, to the post I found today:

I graduated on 17th July 2018. To some, this is a life-changing experience as you leave one stage of life and move on to another: you may have moved away already, be living with your parents again or have started a new job on the other side of the world.  It may be the last time you see anyone you’ve just spent the last 3-4 years with.  Or it may simply be, as it was for me, an excuse to wear a silly hat, have some nice photos done and drag the parents around campus again. For me, it was my third graduation: my second at University of Nottingham, and my first where the weather wasn’t horrible. I’ve lived in Nottingham since 2003 effectively and so the day wasn’t really the same sort of special as I’m on campus all the time, and I didn’t study at the Uni much so didn’t really make any friends who also graduated at the same time: in fact, my name was on its own under my degree level and subject. Some of my friends from RPGSoc and who I’ve met through owning rabbits are graduating this year too, and some graduated earlier than me and some later, so I’ve looked them up in the programme and wished them well.

For me, graduation was the formal end of my time as a Masters student. It is not a new beginning in itself but signals the final point in my Masters timeline.  I can no longer call myself a student, but then I haven’t actually been a registered student since 1st October 2017: I couldn’t join any societies as a student member all last year, but then I hadn’t passed my course until part-way through the academic year, so I wasn’t ‘not’ a student. I was in a sort of limbo, where my student email still functioned and my student card still worked, but I was an associate member of the Student’s Union and couldn’t vote, or stand as a council member, but yet all my emails came through to my student account. With graduation, that ends and I become a true Associate Member again.

But where does that leave my status as a researcher? Does the formality of graduation end my association with Nottingham? It certainly doesn’t end my research: I fully intend to carry out as much as possible even without formal support, thanks to my status as a University staff member, which gives me access to libraries and resources in a very similar way to those I had as a postgraduate research student. And that association with Nottingham through formal employment, albeit completely unrelated to my own research, means I cannot in good conscience call myself a fully independent researcher since it is the University of Nottingham which has supplied me with library books and access to online resources which I would otherwise be unable to afford, especially as I only work two days a week.  Working part-time enables me to enjoy hobby time as well as continuing to pursue my research activities and support myself without simply sponging off my parents and/or the other half which wouldn’t work for me longterm.

So, I am an independent-ish researcher with an MA(Res) looking for opportunities.

Which brings us to today, a year since I graduated (the same graduations are happening today, rather than a calendar year), and where am I?  the short answer is: limbo.

I’m an independent researcher with ties to University of Nottingham: I work 2 days a week as an administrator in a pan-European doctoral training programme, and the University lets its admin staff use the libraries and resources too, so I’ve still got all the access to books and journals I had before, but no-one telling me what to do, or guiding me as such.

I’m both working (14.5hrs per week!) and not working because I’m not fulltime, not on a permanent contract and not working as an academic, researcher, teacher etc. I do not know where I belong and there are no set rules or overall guidance in terms of paying academic society memberships, conference fees etc. The student – academic dichotomy doesn’t fit me. (I feel some readers may be thinking the adult – child thing doesn’t apply to me either XD)

I’m still researching, but not as much as I’d like or as much as this job lets me (with the other 5 days off), because my house renovations have taken over a year (which is a blog post in itself but a much more private one I’m not willing to write) and I’m really struggling with it now. I need some sort of finalisation, order, or simply space to sit down, knock out the work I need to do and try and reorganise my time back to what it used to be, rather than the only workspace being the bed or the sofa if I have books I need to access, or the downstairs computer if I don’t, or I need Windows (perils of upgrading to a Chromebook Flip, although I will be getting a second PC eventually).

Life, however, has been generally good over the last year. Academically, I’ve presented new (fledgling) research at conferences, written a book chapter(!) and am currently rewriting a book review (from November: see above house status :S).  I’ve had two proper rejections (a conference and a different book chapter) which weren’t too bad, and I cannot complain because I’ve had loads of great acceptances which far outweigh two tiny things.  I suppose having a fairly wide ‘niche’ is useful!

I actually came here to write a draft about my latest carnivorous plant exploits, but reorganising my drafts has been much more productive!

A realisation about PowerPoints

… They’re all set out to look like little book chapters, aren’t they!

I am about to embark on writing a chapter for a book, and I’ve dug out the paper I wrote and gave upon which this chapter is based.  The paper is laid out so each paragraph is split by the command , except some where I change tack and talk about something while the previous slide is still up.  The University of Nottingham PowerPoint template has subheadings: a subtitle page, so to speak, which breaks the ‘chapter’ down into smaller chunks, different sections basically, and I think that’s actually really useful for organising ideas into longer pieces of writing.

I never expected PowerPoint to become my tool for thesis etc. mapping!

I also checked the word count: my chapter needs to be 6,000-8,000 words, and this paper was just over 3,100 before I’ve added references, made it academic (it currently reads how I speak, because that’s what it’s for) and generally tied it all together, so I think I’ve got it in the bag 🙂

Expect an update on blog-status at some point, although right now I’m finding it a useful idea-laying tool, which I think is what I’ve always wanted to do with it academically!

Run down or take off?

The inevitable ‘I evidently haven’t put enough time into this blog’ post, with the usual question: put in the time to keep it going, or discard it (appropriately) and just use it as a static set of webpages?

Option one seems distinctly less likely but then I also haven’t done the organising well enough of my other projects, leaving me with time that needs parcelling up for projects, so I could feasibly factor this in…

So I will see you later, I expect, a it’ll either be a ‘final post’ or ‘I found time! Go me!’ start of a new chapter.

That’s Dawn, MA, to you…

Yes, I did it: I passed my MA!  Only a pass: my weaknesses in writing and formulating did not allow for a merit or distinction, but a pass nonetheless 🙂  Therefore I am now a Master of Russian Metal Music.

And technically it’s Dawn MA BSc anyway ;P

I have mostly written up a piece about Canada but I haven’t had time to sort the pictures for it yet, so you’ll have to wait a bit.

So what else have I been up to that’s kept me away?  Well, Summer was working 40hr weeks on my MA thesis (while still working 18.12hrs a week at paid-work), followed by an Autumn of panicked jobsearching as I was told my contract wasn’t being renewed. I’d found a job within 3 weeks though, which I started while finishing my old one as the times worked so I’m effectively working 5 days a week until Christmas, which might explain a thing or two…

I hope to post again in January!  Meanwhile, keep track of what I’m up to on Twitter 🙂

Ô Canada! La Première Partie

Ta da!  See, I DID manage to get around to writing at least about SOMETHING from Canada!  And I’ve optimistically labelled it the first part.  The second, though, might be well after my thesis submission date in September.  But this, at least, should at least make people think this blog is actually being used 😀

So, this first part?  The most important, to be honest, as without this bit, I never would have gone (although I expect I would have gone sooner or later; I mean, I already want to return!).  This part is my brief conference report.  I had to write it as part of my conditions of funding from BASEES so I thought I may as well replicate it here, with some additions.

‘Boundaries and Ties: the Place of Metal Music in Communities’, Victoria, BC, Canada, 9^th-11^th July 2017.

I was awarded a BASEES Postgraduate Research Grant, the Graduate School Travel Prize from the University of Nottingham and funding from the Partridge Bequest held by Russian and Slavonic Studies, University of Nottingham to attend and present my research at the International Society for Metal Music Studies (ISMMS) biennial conference, held this time in Canada.  Having never presented my research outside of my own University, nor having been outside Europe in my life, it was an exciting experience!  The two-and-a-half day conference was supported by keynotes from Keith Kahn-Harris, one of the founding members of ISMMS and Brittney Slayes, lead singer of Victoria-born power metal band Unleash the Archers.  Panels were parallel to give more time and breadth to the programme and included categories such as local & global metal communities, performance, resistance, scene construction and ethics.  Presenters were from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds, including cultural studies, musicology, anthropology, religious studies and history, as well as independent scholars and industry professionals.

My research concerns the first album of Russia’s leading heavy metal group, Aria, and I presented a basic overview of late Soviet cultural history as well as insights into my research on themes and influences in the album.  I was the only person presenting on Russia but other researchers presented on cultures as disparate as Japan, Madagascar, Austria, and Indonesia, proving that metal music and culture is a global phenomenon.  I connected with researchers in Birmingham who hope to extend their ‘Home of Metal’ study out from there to other ‘homes’ of metal across the world.

In the evening of the first day there was an opportunity to go to Unleash the Archer’s album release gig in Downtown Victoria, and on the final day there was a special screening of the documentary film ‘Blekkmetal’ about the origins of Norway’s black metal scene, set against the backdrop of the 2015 festival of the same name.  This was followed by a Q&A session with two of the producers.  In the evening there was an opportunity to experience more of the local metal scene in an ‘all-ages’ gig at a local community centre.  The ISMMS AGM was also held during the conference and I participated in this as an ordinary member. There were also plenty of opportunities for networking and sightseeing: on one occasion I happened upon one of the locals down at the beach:

North American River Otter

I was heartened by the interest in my research, and I was able to reconnect with friends I first met in Hull in March 2016.  I was impressed by the range of different approaches and projects metal scholars are undertaking and managed to speak with most people about their research.  I was also in charge of live Tweeting the conference using ISMMS’ official Twitter profile (@ISMMSOfficial), which was challenging but very useful for making me think differently about the papers being given.

Overall, I think the conference was a very valuable experience: not only was it an excellent opportunity to present my research to the ‘metal’ side of my field, but it was also an exceptional chance to travel well outside of my comfort zone!  I did, in fact, experience ‘culture shock’: because Victoria is an English-speaking part of Canada, the difference in culture was, in a way, surprising, as everywhere else I have been are predominantly foreign-language based foreign cultures!

I made many new academic friends at the conference, people who are researching new and exciting things and people who are very interested in my research.  I have opened up some opportunities for myself in future research as well as in the opportunity to become more involved with the administration and promotion of ISMMS, once my MA is finished.  I also pushed my boundaries by experiencing music I don’t generally associate with (extreme metal) and research that is unusual and innovative, pushing the boundaries of academic thought (especially Gemma Antonelli’s paper on self-mutilation in performance).

Thankyou very much to BASEES, the University of Nottingham Graduate School and my Russian and Slavonic Studies ‘family’ for granting me the financial opportunity to undertake this groundbreaking trip!  It was beyond worth it!

Don’t hold your breath for the next instalment: my list of ‘urgent things to do once my thesis is handed in’ might already need to be split into ‘super urgent’ and ‘can wait until after Christmas 2017’…!

Another eight months!

Don’t make promises you can’t keep: you’ll notice I didn’t promise ;P

Anyway, just a brief update to say: I’m presenting my research in Canada shortly and I hope to use this blog to report on my trip.  Not least to chart6 my aircraft discoveries (see ‘It’s Not All Work‘ from Moscow!)

No promises, though ;P

Better late than never?

You know how it is: you start a new blog, intend to keep something of it going and then circumstances change and it all goes a bit awry. Well, that happened.  Here’s a brief summary of life over the past 8 months.

Firstly, I didn’t do anywhere near enough work in Semester 1, and the blog was not the only thing to suffer.  I’m catching up but this week, having been Freshers’ Week, I’m nowhere near target either, so procrastinating here probably isn’t helping greatly.

Secondly, it all kicked off at work: we had a sudden closedown of the trial I work on. That meant having to fit 2yrs worth of work into practically 3 months. My study work didn’t suffer much but everything else did.

Finally, there has been a lot of things to do with organising and administering RPGSoc and related outfits to be done.

Of course, that wasn’t the half of it: what else has been going on?

RPGSoc won the National Student Roleplaying and Wargaming Championships in Manchester: I’m the current Champion of D&D 5th Edition and Large Model Painting.  I have been playing 5th Edition on Thursday nights still: our gaming group has changed with the change of storyline, and it’s not as good anymore (the group slightly, the storyline mostly), but it’s still brilliant 😀

I’ve been to no airshows since the loss from the air of Vulcan XH558, but I did go to both Bruntingthorpe Cold War Jets open days with my friend from Essex who’s recently moved to the area and I also went to Newark Air Museum’s Fleet & Foreign Open Cockpits thing (although only for the Foreign-y bit), as well as City of Norwich Aviation Museum while I was visiting Emilie and the East Midlands Airport Aeropark with my Mum.  I also visited the Avro Heritage Museum last December with Matt.  So that’s four new Vulcans on the ‘visited’ list 🙂

We went abroad to Austria for the first time in ages and I remembered how much I miss Graz.  Some friends moved back to Nottingham and it’s like the family came home.

My Masters has really kicked off: I’ve been to loads of conferences as a participant so I’ve travelled well!  I’ve also met lots of very interesting and lovely people.  My supervisor thinks my work is very good (it has been described as ‘excellent’!) so it can’t all be that bad.

Let’s not leave it another eight months, eh?  Well, I’ll try my best.