I wonder what Ph.D. program would let somebody back in after 33 years?
Queen Guitarist to Complete Doctorate
LONDON — Brian May is completing his doctorate in astrophysics, more than 30 years after he abandoned his studies to form the rock group Queen. ...more
Wednesday
Monday
July 23, 2007
I didn't get crap done this weekend because I was busy reading Harry Potter #7 since Saturday afternoon. I'm almost done, and I'm just sitting here at work thinking about how I can't wait until I get home to finish it. I don't want it to go by so fast, but at the same time it's impossible for me to read it slowly. I've already cried at one part, I'm such a sap.
Friday was an all-day session of consulting on the Gates project with my colleagues from Seattle. It was totally exhausting. I was so not in my right mind that when I got home I impulsively bought a domain name and webhosting without really knowing why or how I was going to do anything with it. I wonder if I can cancel it -- there's really no need in my life for more distraction.
The Nordstrom sale on Saturday was kind of disappointing. I don't know if it's because we have such a small store and they choose to carry stuff that doesn't happen to appeal to me, or if the clothes are just boring this year. I ended up buying two tops that were on the clearance racks (not the anniversary sale) and one at regular price which I'm going to return because it's too big. All in all a bit of a let down.
Friday was an all-day session of consulting on the Gates project with my colleagues from Seattle. It was totally exhausting. I was so not in my right mind that when I got home I impulsively bought a domain name and webhosting without really knowing why or how I was going to do anything with it. I wonder if I can cancel it -- there's really no need in my life for more distraction.
The Nordstrom sale on Saturday was kind of disappointing. I don't know if it's because we have such a small store and they choose to carry stuff that doesn't happen to appeal to me, or if the clothes are just boring this year. I ended up buying two tops that were on the clearance racks (not the anniversary sale) and one at regular price which I'm going to return because it's too big. All in all a bit of a let down.
Wednesday
July 18, 2007
So not to jinx anything, but I've been making more progress on chapter 4. I'm figuring out what I need to do to move forward: it involves wasting a lot of paper and printing out a version of the chapter, sitting on the couch with a pencil, and making hand-written revisions on the page. Then I go back to the computer and make all the revisions. For some reason, I can see more clearly what needs to be done that way. I also managed to sit down and work on it in the evening hours last night...the shock! It's the only way - I have to find more hours to do this, so breaking my habit of no-work-in-the-evening is one way. I am definitely more tired, but I've never known of anyone who was well-rested and fresh as a daisy while trying to meet their dissertation deadlines, right? Sheesh.
I also tried re-visiting an old standby last Friday: a certain coffee shop with large tables and a library-like atmosphere. The change of scenery worked pretty well, though it still took me about 3 hours to write one paragraph (which is more than I was doing at home). Sometimes it's just excruciating to get that first bit down, but then you've broken the ice and it flows better from there.
I also tried re-visiting an old standby last Friday: a certain coffee shop with large tables and a library-like atmosphere. The change of scenery worked pretty well, though it still took me about 3 hours to write one paragraph (which is more than I was doing at home). Sometimes it's just excruciating to get that first bit down, but then you've broken the ice and it flows better from there.
Friday
July 13, 2007
If it's not apparent from some of my posts, I am really really frustrated with myself and my inability to be as productive as I need to be at this stage of the dissertation game. I am constantly worried and anxious coupled with cycles of low energy and gloom. I have a great support person in Reluctant Texan, who totally understands. But I did not expect to find additional validation and understanding from my dad.
He occasionally asks me how it's going with with writing, and I explain my tortured process of fits and starts, getting bogged down and overwhelmed, etc. He then says he completely understands, and that he's going through the same thing with his ongoing restoration of a 1935 Ford 4-door Touring Sedan that used to belong to his Aunt. This is what one looks like when it's all gussied up (his is actually midnight blue):
He goes 10 days without working on it, then feels it hanging over his head, starts again, gets bogged down, gives up for awhile, the whole thing. I have to say I found this pretty comforting, and it was nice to have his empathy.
Okay, time to get to work.
He occasionally asks me how it's going with with writing, and I explain my tortured process of fits and starts, getting bogged down and overwhelmed, etc. He then says he completely understands, and that he's going through the same thing with his ongoing restoration of a 1935 Ford 4-door Touring Sedan that used to belong to his Aunt. This is what one looks like when it's all gussied up (his is actually midnight blue):
He goes 10 days without working on it, then feels it hanging over his head, starts again, gets bogged down, gives up for awhile, the whole thing. I have to say I found this pretty comforting, and it was nice to have his empathy.
Okay, time to get to work.
Tuesday
July 10, 2007
So the other night I was watching What Not To Wear until 2:00 in the morning. I watched the opening sequence over and over, glassy-eyed and bored. The next day, the not-so-subliminal messages of the show started to sink in. [must-be-feminine-must-be-feminine-must-be-feminine]. No, not that one. I, stuckupgirl, have only 8 more weeks to legally wear a miniskirt according Stacy and Clinton. Though by some measures I perhaps am already too late. What does "no miniskirts after 35" mean? M. thinks it means you can still wear them while 35. I jest, of course. This show is all about teaching women patriarchal norms about their bodies and how to be properly feminine (wouldn't want to make anyone uncomfortable by not being able to identify the oppressed sex class). But yet sometimes it's hard to look away.
On another note, I have about 6 weeks to finish a complete draft of the diss. This means finishing the results chapters, writing the discussion, and beefing up the literature review. In the meantime I have to write 30 pages of an article for publication for the professor I work for (said professor, by the way, is not nearly as impressed with me as I think he should be, which is annoying). But friends and family are buying plane tickets to come see me graduate in December, so I guess I better pull something out of my you-know-what so as not to disappoint them.
Oh and I have insomnia too. Lovely.
P.S. Dad turns 73 today.
On another note, I have about 6 weeks to finish a complete draft of the diss. This means finishing the results chapters, writing the discussion, and beefing up the literature review. In the meantime I have to write 30 pages of an article for publication for the professor I work for (said professor, by the way, is not nearly as impressed with me as I think he should be, which is annoying). But friends and family are buying plane tickets to come see me graduate in December, so I guess I better pull something out of my you-know-what so as not to disappoint them.
Oh and I have insomnia too. Lovely.
P.S. Dad turns 73 today.
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