Semester ended / The work starts

Back here! I had to give myself a couple of days to structure work and goals and stuff after getting back to Prague from the conference. I managed to list all the stuff I have to do in the upcoming four months (aka the “summer break”) and I’m looking forward to it!

If everything goes well, I should go to Lisbon Summer School in late June and probably one more research trip to Germany during July/August. So I really need to structure life to be able to get everything done and also go somewhere for a vacation. My partner just bought a mini cooper and it looks like a road trip vacation so far!

I really really want to be more active here, I’ve been struggling lately quite a lot and I’m getting more stable now, so it should go well. The semester is over, I have just one more paper to write for the seminars.

Letsgooooo!

M.

Utrecht Conference // day two

The day was filled with inspiring papers and great people! Initially, I wanted to socialize on both evenings of the conference, but I don’t have the mental capacity for that. I think I’ll just do dinner with some of the attendees and hit the hay as soon as I can. I’m so tired, but happy.

M.

Utrecht Conference // day one

*waves from the Netherlands*

I spent the day just walking around and prepping my conference paper for tomorrow. I feel like a giant stone dropped from my chest, I really needed this break and to see fellow PhD peers from other countries.

Also: I have a fancy hotel with a swimming pool. It’s amazing! I’m trying to rest here as much as I can.

Cheers!

M.

Last seminar of the first year

I’m done with three seminars, forever. I have only one seminar in the second year of my PhD and then some half-seminars at the other uni, but they are okay.

These were not okay, to say the least.

They were extremely toxic and I was on the verge of a panic attack the whole time when the last one was happening. And most of the other ones before.

To get some sort of conclusion, I went to the pub with my classmates afterwards and I got the last evidence that I needed to conclude they are just not very nice people. Or not nice at all.

They don’t want to do the work, they hope that “somebody is just going to employ them”, they make fun of everybody, including undergraduate students they are supposed to eventually teach.

I was just destroyed afterwards and couldn’t sleep much.

I need to rest to get over this as I’m not doing okay mental-health-wise.

I knew the first year is going to be hard, but it was mostly hard for the reasons I didn’t expect.

Hopefully, I’m actually gonna be more active here, after a bit of recovery and after-care.

(Shitposting from Utrecht and the conference I’m attending there incoming!)

M.

My abstract got accepted into a special issue of a high-impact journal! And I’m going to Aarhus for a conference in October!

This week is insane

Also, I’m gonna have my own class

This is so surreal

semiotics-studies:

Okay, it just took me 10 hours to prepare a lecture on illocutionary silencing.

Hopefully, I won’t completely fuck up tomorrow.

I’m so excited to teach this!

M.

IT WENT SOOOOOOO WELL!

the students even praised me to my supervisor who’s teaching the course. And he also directly told me that I did an amazing job.

I’m in tears

Good things

Okay, it just took me 10 hours to prepare a lecture on illocutionary silencing.

Hopefully, I won’t completely fuck up tomorrow.

I’m so excited to teach this!

M.

How’s it going, babe?

Hey there, sorry for not being active once again.

I’ve been struggling with mental health and also with the funding for my compulsory internships, dealing with absent supervisor. Things got tough for a bit and I ended up with a flu. But I want to come back in full strength, so here’s the overview of what’s up:

I’m going to grad conference in Utrecht!

In less then a month, I’ll be talking (blabbering) about philosophy of language in a beautiful Utrecht. I got the funding (after some struggles) and I booked the flight and accommodation. It’s set!

I’m presenting at one other grad conference!

It’s online, so no travels, but this means that I’m gonna have my PhD duties regarding conference done. Like for both of the programs. Forever. I’ll still go to conferences, but it won’t be a duty anymore.

My consultant is finally my official supervisor!

I got rid of the guy who doesn’t give a fuck and I’m once again fully supervised by my lovely diploma thesis supervisor.

Seminars are almost over!

God, I can’t wait, there’s only three or four left (thanks to Utrecht, I don’t have to attend one other, hahaha)

I’ll keep you posted about upcoming things, hopefully posting almost daily!

M.

semiotics-studies:

Professors Are Pretentious Fucks

Storytime! Storytime!

(I know that #NotAllProfessors, but for the sake of the story)

I was just told that I cannot write a review of a book as “a student is not capable of assesing a professor’s work”. After I wrote a review of that book over a weekend, as they needed it asap. Thanks for nothing.

The whole story:

An e-mail came to my department that one colleague needed a review of book, that could be published pretty soon. My supervisor send them an e-mail, that I’ll do it, after me agreeing to it. The person receiving the e-mail CHECKED ME ON ACADEMIA.EDU, so they knew instantly I am a PhD student. Nevertheless, no reply. I wrote the review over the weekend, as the book is fairly short with extremely obvious shortcomings - first chapter was missing a conclusion, the book is extremely repetitive, mostly because every chapter was written by a different author and they didn’t consult enough.

The introduction is just random paragraphs from the studies clipped together. The authors are not native English speakers and it wasn’t edited and proofread enough, so it’s littered with missing punctuation, some words written in British English, some in US English. You know, mistakes that a student can very easily asses. And don’t even let me start about the poor methodology.

I’m mostly angry and sad. I hate that my work is assesed from the point of view, where it’s bad just because it’s written by a student. Zero constructive feedback. Nothing. This is sooo frustrating and idiotic.

Update

The review is gonna be published because the professor actually doesnt have any influence over the editors’ process. They just pretended they do.

Gotta love academia.

27/3/2022 // hard week

I was really struggling with the toxicity of academic environment this week, but I’m somewhat better now. I’m planning to finish reading a book today and brainstorm ideas for one conference paper. I hope it’ll all go smoothly.

M.

23/3/2022 // break

I went to see my nephew for the first time and I got some rest in the middle of the week. It was superb.

Hope you enjoy the crocs aesthetics. Loving the countryside.

M.

Professors Are Pretentious Fucks

Storytime! Storytime!

(I know that #NotAllProfessors, but for the sake of the story)

I was just told that I cannot write a review of a book as “a student is not capable of assesing a professor’s work”. After I wrote a review of that book over a weekend, as they needed it asap. Thanks for nothing.

The whole story:

An e-mail came to my department that one colleague needed a review of book, that could be published pretty soon. My supervisor send them an e-mail, that I’ll do it, after me agreeing to it. The person receiving the e-mail CHECKED ME ON ACADEMIA.EDU, so they knew instantly I am a PhD student. Nevertheless, no reply. I wrote the review over the weekend, as the book is fairly short with extremely obvious shortcomings - first chapter was missing a conclusion, the book is extremely repetitive, mostly because every chapter was written by a different author and they didn’t consult enough.

The introduction is just random paragraphs from the studies clipped together. The authors are not native English speakers and it wasn’t edited and proofread enough, so it’s littered with missing punctuation, some words written in British English, some in US English. You know, mistakes that a student can very easily asses. And don’t even let me start about the poor methodology.

I’m mostly angry and sad. I hate that my work is assesed from the point of view, where it’s bad just because it’s written by a student. Zero constructive feedback. Nothing. This is sooo frustrating and idiotic.

*vibing with the author for the first time in 200 pages*

17/3/2022 // catching up

Which coffee houses do I like the most? The ones, where I can sit on a window sill, like an idiot, and read stuff.

It’s good, I’m working, but also resting enough.

M.

17/3/2022 // catching up

Which coffee houses do I like the most? The ones, where I can sit on a window sill, like an idiot, and read stuff.

It’s good, I’m working, but also resting enough.

M.

Morning!

I’m mostly reading today and I’ve established an evening flashcard routine. Otherwise, I want to go for a run and clean my apartment a bit.

Also, really trying to be more active here!

M.

13/3/2022 // my own personal Waterloo

I really have to work (more specifically read more). Currently very deep I’m the procrastination spiral and trying to dig myself out.

M.

11/3/2022 // slow and steady

I’m still struggling to work, as my anxiety is through the roof, but I’m trying to work, slowly, steadily. Coping with the state of the world and my personal life is hard. Academia is hard. But I find some sort of joy in all of this.

Also, I have a nephew! I’m an aunt for the very first time! He’s 15 hours old now and as cute as they get.

M.

My supervisor was leaving the office to teach Speech Act Theory 101.

My supervisor: “I’m just gonna assign them readings, I’ll be back in a bit.”
Me: “What’s the first reading?”
Him: “Austin.”
Me and him simultaneously: “awwwwww.”

The perfect relationship to have with your supervisor, hahaha.

Break

Everything was insane and I couldn’t sleep lately, so I ended up taking a break and going to Dresden for a weekend. I’m back to work now, rested and fairly motivated. I hope this week goes smoothly.