In the Thick of It

Good news, Everyone! I did fine on my Health Assessment, and it turns out I can do a solid number of push-ups compared with other women in my age range. So, it feels like I won that contest.

It doesn't feel like I'm winning the dissertation contest, though. I spent the last couple of weeks revising an article for possible publication (fingers crossed!), and I'm a little behind on the air-tight calendar of things to get done before December. That's a bummer, because I really love this fall weather and would like to get out in the daylight now and then. Of course, I'll finish this thing just in time to get out and enjoy February. And that's okay. Because any month will feel glorious when this thing is done. Also, I think I'll have a party.

Shift Work

Sam and I are on our new schedule this week. I spend the mornings with him and Heather, our nanny, takes over in the afternoons. I'm liking it so far. It's good to put time into the dissertation every day. But it also means I have to put time into the dissertation every day. You can probably see what I mean.

Meow

I'm trying out this new thing called Written? Kitten! It's a website that shows you an adorable photo of a kitten once you've written 100, 200, 500, or 1000 words. It works for me, and I'm astounded by that because a) I'm an adult who shouldn't need motivation like that and b) I don't like cats. But if I've learned anything from this dissertation writing process it's that there are no rules except to do whatever it takes to get words on the page.

The Space

After spraying the raccoon poop from the back steps, I hopped on my bike and headed over to my new study space at the St. Thomas Library. I suppose this place is packed during the school year, but for now I'm the only one here. I like it. It smells like the Carleton Library (where I spent four years of my life) but there are a greater number of Catholic shapes and icons around. I could use a little help from a higher power on this dissertation, so that's a plus. I also like the view out the window onto the campus mall. The green space is inspiring. And space is really important to the writing task at hand, I've found. I think I'll be able to get a couple months of good writing out of this one.

Let the Wild Rumpus Begin

I made a calendar to keep me on track as I move toward this January dissertation deadline. In doing so, it occurred to me that I could have been done with this thing already if I had applied myself as much as I'm going to have to apply myself in the weeks to come. But that kind of thinking doesn't help at this point, does it? So, positive thinking and progress from here on out.

Calling the Muses

I finished a fantastic writing retreat last week. It was kind of strange how much I loved it, actually. Allow me to describe: There were fifteen of us in a well-lit computer lab all writing our dissertations. The monitors were just the right height to keep from getting a sore neck, and we had lots of space to spread out. We could keep our books and notes in our spots over night or keep them in our assigned mailboxes. We had hot coffee and fruit available all day, and every Tuesday we had lunch together to answer questions like, "What are some strategies for writing when you have only 20 minutes to work on your dissertation?" There were two writing consultants on hand to read sections of our writing or to help us get unstuck. We started each day with a writing warm up, wrote our daily goals on large pieces of paper so we could cheer each other on, and ended each day by "parking downhill" so we would know where to start the next day. Oh, and we couldn't go on the Internet.

So many simple little details that added up to a lot of pages written. I'm so sad it's over. Because so far this week I have managed to interview some babysitters online and purchase some items at Gap.com.

Consider this the writing warm up for the day. Come on, Muses. I'm calling you to the room.

The Wave

I think a little writing warm-up is in order today. I'm trying to write a chapter of the diss analyzing humor and laughter about race in an interracial film group, and let me tell you, it's really hard. I'm not all that familiar with the methodology I've chosen even though I think it's super interesting and useful. I'm sending whatever I have to my advisor later today, so I'll find out if it's working or if it's total crap. She's pretty honest that way. Let's hope it's working, though, because I'm feeling sort of motivated to work on the diss lately and would like to ride this wave as far as possible.

Status Update

I'm at the coffee shop this morning ready to crank out a chapter that's due in a couple of weeks. Last week was a busy one, with the parents here for a visit and then a visit from the norovirus. One was more fun than the other by leaps and bounds.

I'm trying not to feel too bad about how long the dissertation is taking. People who started my program after me have now finished or will be finishing soon, and if I would just stay off Facebook, I'd never have to know about that. I was accepted to participate in a dissertation writing retreat at the end of May, though, and I'm thinking it will be just the boot camp that I need. Hooya.

Write On

There is some excellent blogging going on here and here. And we're not even in the middle of a blogging challenge! I'm going to prove to myself that I can keep up with a blog and maintain some level of quality as well. I'm also going to prove to myself that I can write this dissertation. It's going slowly so far, but IT IS GOING. Let's be clear on that.