14/3/2020 // ru paul and health scares

I know this is supposed to be a studyblr but I feel like the studying aspect is going out the window a little bit right now- I’m immunosuppressed due to chronic illness, and I had a bit of a health scare today bc I’d developed some scary new symptoms, and I had to go to the hospital.

I won’t lie, waiting alone outside the hospital for a private number to call me and tell me that it was safe for me to enter the coronavirus pod was terrifying- I only told one close friend and family member because I didn’t want to cause any unnecessary panic for anyone I’d been in contact with until I knew I was ok.

And thankfully it turns out I’m fine- the doctor agreed that the ongoing infection I’ve had for two months (fuck immunosuppression honestly) wasn’t coronavirus, so I didn’t need to be officially tested. And I also don’t have a chest infection/pneumonia/pleurisy, which was the other concern, I just need to wait this non-threatening viral infection out.

So now I’m self isolating for a bit- there sadly won’t be any aesthetically pleasing cafes or libraries coming up, just the inside of my flat. I’m just taking this as an opportunity to catch up on drag race and to work on my embroidery until I feel better (the frida tshirt I’m working on looks a bit rubbish rn, but hopefully it’ll be quite effective when it’s finished.)

12/3/20- desk daffodils

Had to wake up horribly early to do my seminar prep before my 9 am, but I made it into the music department, got it done and presented ok overall :) also the mini daffodils on my desk are blooming!

10 + 11/3/2020- fuck it, let’s get cocktails

I haven’t been as productive as I would have ideally wanted in the last couple of days, partly because my job has been really shitting on me the last week (imagine working a welfare job that’s concerned with the wellbeing of students in your care, but not with your own? that’s where I’m at right now)

9/3/20- coffee and concerts

I was actually pretty productive today! Worked in a coffee shop that does some of my favourite sandwiches, and then the postgrad common room (having a place to keep my own mug and coffee and access to hot water has changed my life!)

Things I got done:

Various admin tasks for my welfare job

Event planning for a climate change workshop I’m organising

Various tasks I needed to do in my climate activism group

Planned and began writing my article on reluctant environmentalism

Am I starting a new blog as a method of procrastination? Possibly!

By means of introduction: my name is Maz, and I’m a 22 year old Ethnomusicology MA student, musician, music facilitator and writer. (In case anyone’s wondering, at its most basic level, ethnomusicology is the anthropology of music).

I’m starting a new studyblr because I figured that it might help me to track (and encourage!) some more productivity in my work schedule (that and the fact that I massively geek out on aesthetically pleasing work spaces and nice stationary).

Work that you might find my posting about may include (but is not limited to):

-research for my thesis- this relates to the function of music in UK drag culture, and will hopefully involve some banging fieldwork

-work for any other taught classes in my music degree- right now this includes a fieldwork project which will probably involve the music facilitation work I do with refugees, and work for a classical music orchestration module

-work relating to a research project I’m managing on collating musics from migrant diaspora in my city into an open access resource (I’m incredibly excited about this)

-writing on climate change and local democracy- I’m involved in local climate activism as part of a group that holds our city council to account, so I spend quite a lot of time writing about that

- Less interestingly, I work as a welfare advisor in student halls (I think it’s called an RA in the US?) so I have a fair bit of admin to do with that

-And I’m also a gigging musician! so sometimes this will include some instrumental practice (although never as much as it should lmao)