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Sunday, August 31, 2008

still writing

Yesterday and today were supposed to be long writing days. Unfortunately, I hurt my back yesterday morning picking up my boy.... oh well. I slept in this morning will the boys went to church and picked-up some groceries. I am back at work, thanks to some Tylenol and hopefully I will be able to get a good bit done tomorrow. Tuesday I move on to the second case study.... tonight I will print out my draft (almost too rough to be called a 'rough draft') and tomorrow I will try to edit and revise.

I talked to my friend Jenny yesterday and she was encouraging, especially about sharing SAM. She also encouraged me to protect my time at all costs. I need to remind myself of this.... every hour I spend talking to some other graduate student is an hour I don't get to write, which in turn is an hour away from my family. I shall add talking to other graduate students to the growing list of things to do after I finish.
  1. nothing
  2. lay on couch and do nothing
  3. lay on couch and read a novel
  4. lay on hammock and read a novel
  5. work in the yard
  6. clean out shed
  7. clean out house
  8. learn to knit
  9. talk to other graduate students about the dissertation process
  10. write an article about the process and get it published ;)

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Where have you been?

After finishing my two proposals for AERA I took a bit of a break, perhaps not the wisest choice but.... I visited my in-laws, painted my bedroom and spent a lovely week just hanging with my boy.

But as of Tuesday I am back to work, I met with SAM and he helped me with a writing schedule. I spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday with data analysis and today I wrote. I had been warned to turn off the inner critic and just write and miracle of miracles, I did it.

My biggest challenge right now is getting out the door, my boy likes to hit me in the "mommy guilt" as I head out the door. "Mommy, I miss you. Mommy, don't go. Mommy, you are the best mommy." Which normally I would love hearing but right now it just makes me feel terrible. Does it make me a coward that I am thinking about trying to leave before he wakes up?

Due to some faculty changes at our University my SAM is the new favorite adviser. I am a bit peeved that these other people needed a faculty shake up to realize what I knew already, but I try to be gracious when he tells them to email me for advise..... I usually just tell them all the stuff he has already told me, nod my head and say, 'I know'.

Never mind that I typically lose an hour of my precious-in-short-supply writing time listening to someone elses ramblings.

I am making dinner tonight from my new cookbook, because in spite of the crazy business of this semester we must still eat and wear clean clothes. Does it make me lazy if I don't allow my family to wear any clothes? I am kidding, sort of...

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

getting back to work

It isn't like I had a great working streak to begin with or a long break either... but getting back to work this week has been tough. I keep thinking of every excuse to stall. I need to clean the house, I need to get the car washed, I need to go to the grocery store, etc... the problem is I am not doing any of those things either... I have read an entire novel in the last week (Run by Ann Patchett- fantastic by the way) and watched some great HGTV on the internet (you would think not having a TV would stop me, but no it hasn't).


My friend Jenny said I must work today with no internet.... I hate her. Oh well I am off to Starbuck's. I will however stop at the grocery store on my way home.