John Brunlees

Supvisor meeting all set up for Thursday, time to get the ball rolling

It’s a long time since I have picked up Diarmaid MacCulloch’s Reformation, Europe’s House Divided, and had forgotten about his opening gambit as he describes the word ‘Catholic’ as the linguistic equivalent of a Russian Doll.

One thing for sure is that a
I am going to have to get my reading speed up again … it’s been a little since I have read intensely, hopefully it’s like riding a bike

I really wanted to work through and have an organise and resort of all my books this summer, before starting the PhD, but the shelfy shows that hasn’t happened. Eeek, officially a PhD student come Monday!

And now off to find some books on Calvin

Isn’t language wonderful, from a thought at stupid o clock the other night, to go down a rabbit whole, has really enjoyed spending the weekend tracing resistance theory, possibly the most I’ve enjoyed researching something since finishing the Masters, and all in time for starting next month a fresh

My brain needs to rise that nearly 1 am in the morning is not the time to kick into action, and start shorting off looking for 16/17th century theological examples

Sleep has totally gone again, that good old friend insomnia, has popped its ugly head round the corner of the door once more …

Still makes me chuckle anytime I try to explain to someone that my best friend as a toddler was a chimpanzee, recently happened again at work, I have to stop myself from going off on a total info dump of stories. Maybe I’ll create a thread of the best ones my mum and dad have told me one day.

Tonight’s read

Let’s give this a try again #boltaction

Yeah to modern technology!

I wouldn’t be able to research my PhD topic without it. A list of circa forty books to begin with, and the vast majority I can access through the online University library or already own, with only a few to buy

P.s. I love A.I tools that help too!

Reading list creation is going well, I’ve attempted it so many times in the last few months, but actually this time I m getting something I’m happy with

Last day or half day, the small dude at school - picked him up and we have been for lunch, now I’m ready for a sleep, let alone the holidays to begin

Life goals!

Trying to make myself a reading list for September and keep going off on so many tangents, and thinking I’ve read that but want to red it again, just with fresher eyes

I still have to pinch myself, and remind myself that I am going to be a PhD student in just over two months!

I can’t wait to have university library access once again!

Is the 2020s or the 1980s, Russia (USSR) at war, Iran at war, hostage situations in the Middle East, attitudes in general, strikes and unions …

The world is a very scary place

Favourite thing I have read today is Alec Eyrie’s description of John Knox’s History of the Reformation as ‘gossipy, cantankerous and enthralling.’

Latest read, starting to think about getting ahead for September

also found today, when I tripped and clattered the book case a couple of months ago, I broke my toe, it’s healed though now by itself thankfully, even though I’m still having pain

Just sat through an ARFID workshop, which was really eye opening, and totally justified loads of my complexities with food

Something I really have to stop doing is going down rabbit holes while I am reading, make note and save it for afterwards

Using Wodrow’s History of the Sufferings of the Church of Scotland to teach myself Notion. Got to say it’s like having a new toy, absolutely love it, and wish I had found it earlier, it will be so useful in the years to come.

Spent the evening playing around with Notion, hard upward learning curve, but it’s totally trial and error

Feel a bit of a lull now after the excitement of being accepted for the PhD, feeling kind of limbo, brain keeps going to it, but I want to give myself time at, before it really kicks in

I just loved this, the beginning of the final testimony of James Mitchell, famous for his assassination attempt on Archbishop James Sharp.

A day on and I don’t think it’s actually sunk in properly yet!