Katie's Notes

An academic blog by a linguist specialising in qualitative healthcare research & medical humanities

  • Creamy Mushroom Risotto

    Creamy risotto is my all-time favourite meal. Because it is very easy and simple to cook in one pot, this is certainly a go-to meal on weekday evenings. This is my basic mushroom risotto recipe. I love adding ham or prawns to it, which gives a rich flavour. On one occasion, I cooked it without read more

    Creamy Mushroom Risotto
  • Five weeks to go until my viva

    My preparation for my PhD viva has officially started. On my desk, I now have a Wiro-bound copy of my thesis, sticky notes, index tabs, highlighters, and a couple of guidebooks on viva tips. I first added index tabs on each section, and I have been re-reading the thesis while creating a page-by-page summary. At read more

    Five weeks to go until my viva
  • Fresh air in the balcony

    Last weekend, Luca and I thoroughly cleaned the floor, window glass, handrail and furniture on the balcony. It’s a very small, cosy space, so the clean-up was finished in two days after a broom, a short-handled brush, cleaning cloth and cleaner arrived.       Now, we have coffee on the balcony chair in the read more

    Fresh air in the balcony
  • Week 177: Submitted my thesis!

    On Monday, 18 May, I submitted my PhD thesis! This week I have fully enjoyed the freedom. The world feels very different, as if I have come back to reality after three years and five months (176 weeks) of journeying on a small, different planet. My feelings transformed slowly, day by day. After the submission read more

    Week 177: Submitted my thesis!
  • Weeks 175 and 176: The final polish before submission

    I’ve just sent the final text of my thesis to my supervisors for their final check. This weekend and probably next week, I will be waiting for their approval of my first submission. For the past two weeks, it’s been all about ‘inspection’ of the final text – working with my proofreader chapter by chapter, read more

    Weeks 175 and 176: The final polish before submission
  • Teaching motivation returned

    I stay in touch with some of my students from the last academic year who went back home across countries. It’s nice to hear about how they’ve managed to continue to study at home. We discuss useful books and how they study in their online modules. One student told me that the pandemic situation is read more

    Teaching motivation returned
  • Cheese & pea muffins

    Savoury muffins are often referred to as a lunchbox idea. I’m a big fan of them and love cheesy muffins in particular. Luca and I very often enjoy cheese and pea muffins as appetisers served with a glass of white wine or Prosecco at the weekend. I’ve been testing my muffin recipe for the past read more

    Cheese & pea muffins
  • Weeks 172–174: Final revisions and a new project

    For the past few weeks, I’ve been making final revisions for the first full draft of my thesis. I’m reading through the draft again and again and amending for presentational and stylistic consistency. I’ll miss being a PhD student after I’ve submitted it, even though I’ve tackled the same topic for as long as four read more

    Weeks 172–174: Final revisions and a new project