Supervision Meeting

But I'm not making a post like the last one I made *g* I was actually a little bit worried about the meeting, but that's because after much umming and aahing I decided it would be better for me if I could do the PhD part time. I was very naïve (stupid?) when I first applied and thought that I'd be able to work full time and study full time (after all, I did it for the last half of my MA) but I hadn't realised the sheer amount of work I'd need to do. Reading about fan fiction and The X Files alone just isn't enough-there are so many other areas to read around and theories to learn, and coming at this from the academic background I have means I'm playong catch up while studying. So I decided that doing the PhD part time would be better because I'd be putting the same amount of work in but would have much longer to write everything up. I'd emailed Matt to ask if we could discuss it and the response was positive but I was still a bit nervous.

Anyway, come today it actually went well. We talked about the fact I have to work because at the moment I have a £20 a week budget and that has to cover food, train travel and all other odds and sods. £20 is what I have left after my bills, etc have gone out, and I get my pay and help from my parents for those. So Matt's suggested I email our department head to ask about the possibility of teaching hours in the next academic year to supplement my income. He asked how much I was working, and I must have pulled a face because he said he wouldn't be pissed off if it was full time, he just needed to know. So I told him it is full time, and I work late every night to make up for the time I lose on a Wednesday morning (because work wouldn't grant me study leave). He said that it's impossible to work and study for a PhD and if I keep doing it I'll only get more stressed and harm my candidacy because there's no way I'll be able to complete to a high standard in 3 years. Which I agree with. So I'm going to email the department head, explain my situation and see what he says. Matt can't see any problem with me going part time; the only issue may be that I might have to pay back some or all of the grant I was given by the university, but we'll cross that when we come to it. So I'm going to send the email when I get home and go from there. I do feel like a weight has been lifted since making that decision though, and I'm glad today's meeting went well.

In other news, I can't believe a week ago I was on a train home after New York! I don't know where the time goes.

I'm presenting a paper at the Fangbangers conference next week and am freaking out about it! I haven't actually written the paper yet, and I don't want to go anymore! Except I have to so I will.

Oh, and it looks like my writing therapy article is going to be published as they've asked for a bio, and I've had an article on tattoos accepted for a new literary tattoo magazine, which makes me happy.