vivdunstan

Had another dream about my long ago lost PhD this afternoon. This time a viva dream. Though I think it was going well! Anyway it prompted me to blog about the protracted mourning for my lost Computer Science PhD ...

Only belatedly learned that the external examiner for my Dundee University history PhD, Prof Stana Nenadic of Edinburgh University, died last autumn. She was a delight as an examiner: meticulous in her approach, with probing questions while still encouraging and a joy to chat to at my viva. RIP.

Here is a nice writeup of her life and work. A memorial conference was held in Edinburgh in the last two days.

I'm continuing my reread of The Fellowship of the Ring. And the party have just got through Moria. But I was struggling hugely to visualise in my mind the different rooms and levels that the party were going through, especially later on in their time in Moria. But I can remember a time when I could visualise them clearly. For many years. So this seems to be something I've lost since, or can't do now anyway. It's not that I'm not remembering the Peter Jackson movie version. But my image of the journey through Moria was memorably different from the movie I saw in 2001. I remember clearly having "thoughts" about the film's depiction of Moria, and how different it was from how I imagined it looked ever since I'd started reading the book for the first time as a young child. But now I can't really visualise any geography at all as I read.

Relatively recently I tried an aphantasia online test. And scored highly. Which would fit with my struggles to visualise things in my mind now. Including faces. Even very close family! But I'm now wondering after this LOTR rereading experience if it's something that I've developed more in recent years. Perhaps as a result of my progressive neurological illness.

When I was young I could visualise things, and draw from images in my mind. However when my neurological illness started in 1994 at age 22 I quickly noticed my ability to think abstractly diminishing. Rather a big problem for a computer science PhD student needing to program. I quickly lost the ability to program effectively in lots of languages. Though at the time I just coped as best as I could. It's more distressing looking back.

So yup, I wonder if visualisation is another loss with time, perhaps due to my long term illness. It's partly also why I dreaded designing cover art for my latest IFComp game. But hey, got there!

Curiouser and curiouser anyway. I am enjoying my LOTR reread despite this. Next up Lothlorien.

Very happily tonight started browsing Stirling University’s Books and Borrowing 1750-1850 database of Scottish libraries, which is now online, including contributions from me of library borrowing transcripts and databases for Haddington and Selkirk libraries.

P.S. The facts and figures section computing over the underlying databases is hugely impressive. Here are its entries for the libraries in Haddington and Selkirk. Scroll down to the very bottom to see some stunning charts over time.

(As in a room to go and rest in, British meaning, not the US meaning of a toilet)

Was reminded by a post today on Facebook from a uni friend about the “rest room” in Dundee University’s main Tower building basement, that was an enormous help to me during my postgraduate studies and during the year I was working as a research assistant as well part-time. I was battling my progressive and worsening neurological disease, and it was an enormous help to be able to go into this dedicated room with reclining chairs where I could have a lie down for an hour or so. It’s a little known facility but is especially useful for disabled or long term ill students who don’t otherwise have somewhere quiet to go. I used to always ask at the Tower front desk (usually Muriel!) for the key. But later I got my own key to keep and use. Long since returned.

Crunching numbers for my end of year blog post looking back at the books I read. I've finished 75 books this year, and am figuring out overall patterns, spread by subjects, highlights, things I might take forward to next year etc. It takes me a while to put this together so starting now! But it is a nice blog post to do each year and see how things have changed over time. I am a very enthusiastic reader. Even managed to wangle doing (and getting) a PhD in historic reading habits!

Every time I post about my reading I remember how grateful I was to find such records for readers when doing my PhD on reading habits in Scotland circa 1750-1820. Lists of books read and library borrowing records were especially good! My PhD thesis is online. https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/reading-habits-in-scotland-circa-1750-1820

I’ve just blogged a variety of thoughts about World Book Day, childhood reading and my PhD research into historic Scottish reading habits.