In andOver (not over and out)

Just over one week ago, I submitted my thesis for examination. The last month was a final flurry of filling up the gaps in writing, clarifying the expression, smoothing out the argument into (hopeful) coherency, and the endless finnicking of reference checking and formatting. I certainly wouldn't recommend this sudden immersion with a tight deadline approach to anyone wanting to retain their health and sanity, but still, it got the job done. Now, I'm deliberately not thinking much about the thesis in case I jinx the examination somehow.

Luckily, I've got plenty to think about instead. I'm coordinating a unit in Communication Studies this semester - called Cases Studies in Communication - which looks at cultural policy, creative industries and the intersections of theory and practice generally. The most urgent task is putting together the unit reader and unit outline, so I'm currently speed-reading my way through the relevant material to get a more solid understanding of the field. I'm also starting to think more substantially about the next research project, on the use of new forms of media to construct forms of medievalism. I've given conference papers on Victorian medievalist photography as afirst step into the project, but now I need to take time to define what I want to accomplish, the scope of the project and the best way to go about it. On a more frivolous note, I'm also planning to go to lots of Festival events in the next month - doing my bit as a consumer of creative industries. The rain today is also a reminder to stop reading through seed catalogues and start planning garden plantings going into autumn.