Yo! Apologies it’s been all quiet on the Western Front (SGSAH blog) this week; I’ve been SO BUSY and then got sick, probably as a result of all the busy-ness. The lesson? Don’t do anything, ever! Just kidding, of course it’s great to stay busy. It’s a fantastic distraction from the end of the world, which seems to be firmly underway, if my Twitter feed is anything to go by.

I realise the last two posts from me have centred on teaching, but it really does seem to be eating up a lot of my free time away from work. On the plus side I’m reading a lot of “classics” I maybe would have shied away from otherwise – I always like to pretend I hate classic novels, because I’m so hip and modern, but in reality I love a good period drama. In fact, I’m currently reading War of the Worlds and find myself actually wishing for a Martian invasion as a means of sorting out all the worlds ills (see previous paragraph re: the end of life as we know it).

Elsewhere I’ve been reading some blogs lately in which the writer tries to assign a metaphor to their PhD. A comparison with an item, a cake, an animal for example, probably as a means of better understanding the beast, as it were. And that got me thinking…what’s my PhD metaphor? Some days, I think it’s an unflushed toilet that no one wants to go near; other days it’s a stew with too many ingredients, one of which is probably raisins, because I hate it when savoury dishes get ruined with sweet things and I can’t face eating it.

BUT THEN! I realised that the perfect metaphor for my PhD was laid sleeping on my couch. That’s right! My very own PhD pup, Chumbo!

Me and my fur-baby

Metaphorical Reasons:

1. He can be extremely annoying. If he wants attention he will literally stop at nothing to get it.
2. He needs attention. I can’t ignore or neglect him because that would be dire for both of us.
3. When I give him attention, like when we go for a big walk and he gets to run around, stretch his legs, speak (bark) into the ether, we both really enjoy the experience.
4. I’ve nurtured him since he was a puppy and despite quite a lot of turbulence along the way, when I look back, he’s actually turned into (modest brag) a pretty good dog.
5. OH GO ON THEN: I love him loads. And life would be very different if he wasn’t around. For starters I probably wouldn’t get out of bed ’til like 10 everyday…

So there you go. There are probably tons of other reasons too, like the fact that my PhD is about animals, or that Chumbo is constantly penning sonnets, but these are the main things. Do you have any PhD metaphors? Would love to hear them if so!

Last SGSAH blog from me on Tuesday, before a breath of fresh air in the form of a new blogger, which is very exciting! Until then, as usual, if you’d like to submit any guest blogs, email admin@sgsah.ac.uk. You can also follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for regular updates on all the latest happenings and opportunities we have to offer.