Friday's review

I started the day off by earning demerits - sleeping in until 8:30 and not really getting going until 10:30. I also decided to reapply Friday to different purposes, but not nefariously. It's supposed to be a "my stuff" day, but what I had planned to do was a project that requires a lab computer, and I knew it would be hard to get access to. So if I moved that to Saturday, Friday could be used for something else, in this case, my access paper at the library. That lasted until 4 p.m. Then home to dinner and the gym, followed by some class reading for next week.

That concludes my week of updates, although not the work I have to do. It was pretty motivating to know that I would embarrass myself in front of the entire internet if I goofed off. Of course, that's not a long-term strategy.

Thursday in review

Thursday morning was a grab bag of stuff. I printed readings, registered for summer credits (zero dissertation hours - yes, you're registering for nothing!), sent some emails, updated PPI stuff, yada yada yada. Then I couldn't face my paper, so I worked on my annual evaluation form, which is due on tax day.

Went to class in a torrential downpour. Then I stopped by the library to pick up an interlibrary loan needed for my access paper, only to discover the book couldn't be removed from the library. (I'm pulling the data for my paper from it.) So I spent some time working on it, finding it wasn't as complete as I expected and getting frustrated. I went home to mull on it and surprised myself by actually writing up a chunk of that paper - the data and limitations section. I know it's not my priority paper for this week, but I figure paper inspiration is rare enough to be seized whenever it happens. Then I went to yoga, still sore from Tuesday's class.

I really should take a post-yoga shower, but I need a cup of hot tea first. Maybe I can finish The American College and the Culture of Aspiration, 1915-1940 tonight. It's a library book, and someone recalled it. Pfft.

In which we talk about our fellow students

Setting: The office. Officemate's phone rings.
Officemate: Ha ha.
Me: What's so funny?
Officemate: Oh, I'm just updating Mr. Brilliant on sports.
Me: He's awake? (Being a notorious nightowl.)
Officemate: He only sleeps about 3 to 4 hours a night. That's why he works 10 to 12 hours every day, and has time to swim every day and go to clubs and stuff.
Me: Why do you tell me this? How am I supposed to compete on the job market with people who only sleep 3 hours a night?

Accountability on Wednesday

I work at home Wednesday mornings. I wrote up some notes for an article I'm responsible for regarding tonight's class and wrote an outline for my stratification paper. Then I went to Costco to pick up some new contact lenses. (I really wanted to go to Cost Plus and DSW, but I was disciplined. Also, I didn't have time.) At noon we had a PPI meeting and then lunch at the Commons. I spent some more time working on Project Snowball. I'm on the fence about whether that one is "my stuff" or "advisor stuff," because my advisor is the first author, but I'm responsible for getting this particular article out. So I guess it's both. I also had a brief meeting with my officemate about a paper we're writing. Basically, we agreed to put it aside until May, since we're buried under end of the semester stuff and I have to get ASHE proposals out.

Then at 4 we had class, except today we took a field trip to Fisk. When I got home a friend called and we chatted for a while. I've spent the rest of the evening reading. After a certain hour, I can't do anything else - I can't write at night, and I do Stata better during the day. So, reading for this paper. Woot. And laundry. Double woot.

Interesting point about outlining this paper: My original idea was promising, I think, but when I turned in my formal proposal, it had gotten vague and unfocused. So I've been thinking and reading, and when I wrote up the outline, I had a realization: "Oh - so THIS is what my paper is about." It's not that I discovered that instead of being about dairy cows it was about goats, but that my angle on dairy cows was that Jerseys in particular produce delicious cheddar cheese. (Metaphorically, of course.) That's one of the mysteries of the human brain - stuff rattling around in the subconscious is sometimes just ready to come out.

Tuesday's report

I spent half of this morning working on PPI stuff for my advisor and the rest of it doing reading for my stratification paper. Once again I spent some time chatting, but then I didn't take a lunch break. In the afternoon was my contemporary sociological theory class. Then I was planning to run to Costco to get more contact lenses, but I didn't feel like fighting rush-hour traffic, so I did some more reading before going to yoga. After yoga I read one chapter but was pretty wiped out, after two weeks of no yoga.

Score? I was reasonably productive, but I feel like I need to be writing my paper, not reading for it and thinking about it.