July 16, 2007

All better now and back to working on the dissertation project in full swing. I started with editing the chapter I was working on last week....just to get myself back into the rhythm of it all. In order to fill a gap in this draft I took a look at an earlier iteration - a pre-draft of this chapter really in that it was a class-cum-conference-paper I wrote in fall 2003 even before I wrote my dissertation prospectus. And boy have I come a long way! Rather my argument has. Well okay both really to be perfectly honest :-). I liked feeling that way. The passion and enthusiasm are still there but are now tempered by a certain crispness, consistency, and clarity that was missing earlier. Yay me! Well I can't take all the credit...there are too many others but most pivotal of them all in helping me along this journey is my chair. So, in that spirit, I'm signing off with a "Thankus Maxiumus, Chair....especially for staying engaged and keeping me engaged as well!"

Under the weather

And that's why I haven't been posting. Thanks for the e-mails asking about blog updates. Getting better but still not 100% so expect regular posting - favorite sentence and/or dissertating thoughts - to resume Monday, if not later this week.

July 5, 2007

" It is what it is - be that peace or war."

Yuppers not the fanciest sentence but the play on italics works particularly well within the context of the rest of the paragraph...not to mention the broader argument.

Now for a little TV watching to cool my brain down...and perhaps another stab at writing before the day ends.

July 4, 2007

A little late in the day but hey....Happy Independence Day to all those celebrating July 4.

I'd planned to write a longer post about "Being American" or, rather, being 'naturalized' as one but it's almost midnight and I'm pooped. Some other time perhaps when the mood strikes me again.

Hope everyone who was celebrating had a good one and got a chance to enjoy some fireworks displays.

Tomorrow it's back to work ::sigh::

July 3, 2007

A piece of advice my accounts teacher gave us in high school a few months before our Senior Cambridge exams was to adhere to the 8x3 model in organizing our time. I might have mentioned this in an earlier post but just in case I didn't - he suggested sleeping for 8 hours, studying for 8 hours, and devoting the other 8 as we liked to play, fun, etc.

Sounds neat IMHO. I've never been quite able to implement it...or perhaps not when I try to do so consciously.

Today was a slightly different story. I ended up implementing the 8x3 more or less. So I slept for about 7 hours and took in an afternoon nap...okay I understand 2 hours is hardly a nap but you know what I mean! Devoted 9 or so hours towards non-sleep-or-dissertating-activities such as preparing for a 4th of July lunch which included cleaning up and dessert (I'm taking care of desserts only because a full-fledged meal is something I'm not confident enough to handle unless it's really close friends and family who won't let me live down a disaster but at least I won't feel too awful just in case it happens; on the record I've only had one disaster so far since I've been cooking and it was scrambled eggs.), an AM workout, groceries, a late lunch at a restaurant with my parents who closed down early today, etc. And, yes....dissertating took up about 6 hours which included planning the remainder of the current chapter (I'd been floundering a bit) and writing up a decent chunk. It wasn't 6 hours straight but that's what it amounted to. That I didn't realize it until I started writing this post made for a very pleasant surprise.

In other words, yay today (Mashallah, knock on wood, throwing a pinch of salt over my shoulder) except for some mild annoyances on the personal front!

I'm taking the day off tomorrow for the most part but July 5th is when I'm going to aim for an encore. Well sans the major cleaning bonanza. Stay tuned for that update....I'm rooting for me pulling off the 8x3 consciously this time.

Okay off to work on the pineapple semifreddo that I'm making for tomorrow...yes I know it's past 11:30 pm but it's supposed to stay in the freezer for at least 8 hours and there is no way I'm waking up super early in the morning to make it so that it's ready in time.

July 2, 2007

Dissertating thought: IMHO one of the biggest hurdles I face everyday when it comes to working on The Dissertation Project is sitting down to write. Heck...it's a challenge after taking a break for lunch. It's gorgeous and sunny outside and I can think of a million other things that would provide me with nothing less than instant gratification and that would be less painful than pressing my brain to think a thought through all the way instead of stopping when my head begins to hurt. Fellow dissertators and writers will be more than familiar with this - it's not really a headache but more of an "Oh my God am I overwhelmed and see this developing into a billion directions but don't quite know how the dots connect or which dots to put in to connect in the first place" feeling. But I digress. Point being that it's so difficult to do and having done it repeatedly (which is putting it mildly) doesn't quite make it easier. Possibly because there is no clear-defined end in sight. In that every productive writing day means finding the will and ability to repeat it endlessly. And you don't quite switch off unlike some other kind of work which has a relatively short-term duration with a defined beginning and end. In other words, tough as nails. Some days are good, some days are bad, others rock in terms of output but every single day means waking up and finding it in your self to face a blank screen that must be filled up. Hmm....or is this just me and my id? Sure hope not.

I also wonder if it's akin to giving birth like everyone says....the process of active labor is rarely fun but you look upon your offspring with pride and joy. Granted my "little bundle of joy" won't have that nice baby smell nor will it have the smile that makes all the sleepless nights and heartache pale in comparison. But hopefully there will be something about this, as others say, that will feel at least somewhat magical at the end. Check back with me in a couple of months and I'll have my answer to that one (Inshallah).

Ciao for now!

June 29 & 30, 2007

So here's my dilemma: I'm not quite sure how to post a favorite sentence from what I wrote without losing control over my anonymity for the chapters from here onwards until mid-ish August. I'm also a tad paranoid about plagiarism issues that might arise since I have encountered trouble with that in the past...that what I'm working on is all an analysis of the empirical stuff makes me a bit nervous. Put those two together and that's why I didn't end up posting anything on June 29 and June 30. So here's what I propose. On the days I feel comfortable about posting my favorite sentence I'll proceed as I have been these last few days. On days that I don't, I'll post a dissertation-related thought...whether that's related to the actual text or something more akin to a writing update remains to be seen. I suspect it'll be one of these, both, or other things...time will tell.

Expect regular posting to presume Monday, July 2nd.