Trouble Is Everywhere

Thesis Update because apparently my wild Saturday Night is for talking about myself

2010-12-12T03:06:41Z

(It... is Saturday in Canada, right?)

Attention thesis writers: When someone says "Your chapter will come together when you have a theory to frame it around", they are not kidding.

Oh, Chapter 2, you are the best chapter ever.

Also, semi-colons are defeating me. (No, please, don't explain. If I fret too much about it in drafting mode rather than polishing mode it becomes the bestest procrastination technique ever.)

Anyway, I have taken my original shitty draft 1 of Chapter 2, divided it up a bit better (and thus put a bunch of useless paragraphs into what will be Chapter 3), added an actual introduction that says what it's doing, rewritten a little bit of it, and although it is still a shitty draft, it is a much better shitty draft that I need to rework instead of throw out entirely. My brain is a bit tired so I'm going to be finishing up soon, but overall I am satisfied. There are more words. They are not all shite. I think the intro is good. If I smooth out this section and add in all the details I have noted to add in, this could be an excellent roughly 3/4s of Chapter 2. (I'm aiming for 5000 words, it's currently at 1,400 words, which is nothing close to 3/4s, but fixing the stuff up will add more words.)

I'm really pleased with this. I feel like I have something solid to build on now, rather than some crappy words thrown together in the hopes that they'll turn into something. I have some things I need to research (like when the VG opened. When did the VG open? "The Victoria General Hospital was established in 1887 by the City of Halifax and the provincial government when the former City and Provincial Hospital at Rockhead, on the Northwest Arm was renamed; the City and Provincial Hospital having been established in 1859.") (No, wait, "The City and Provincial Hospital opened in May 1867 and made possible the establishment of the Halifax Medical College") (Obviously the internet is not going to be helpful. Lucky I have "Century of Care" at home, which is an academic tome and thus Totally Reliable Really.)

Picture of the Victoria General Hospital in 1910)

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Update

2010-10-11T22:00:09Z

Working party with Ysa was good! Not excellent (I apparently needed to vent about something, which I did. For an hour.), but good enough for ice cream.

Sadly, thesis editing means I'm at -300 words from my starting point this morning.

*siiiiiiiigh*

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I am so awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-05-21T19:17:41Z

Hi [various people]

I'm happy to report that [Anna] successfully presented her thesis proposal before the Graduate Committee. Please make a note on her file so that she can apply for the modest FGS research/travel funds.

Thanks,

[Dr. B.]

And then:

Hi [various people],

[Anna]'s Research Grant letter is ready. I will walk it up to FGS early next week unless you would rather pick it up here at the office [Anna] - in which case, I'll let you know once [Dr. B.] has signed it.

[Awesome Department Secretary]

PARTY IN THE COMMENTS! :D :D :D :D :D :D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Thesis Proposal Update!

2010-05-13T19:31:14Z

Okay! So, I sent my thesis proposal off to Thesis Adviser to look over and give me her feedback. I didn't put in quite everything we discussed at our last meeting, I must admit, but I'm hoping she doesn't say "No! No! More about the MA theses that have been written about residential schools!" (Although if she does, the world does not end - my deadline for getting it to everyone in final form is Tuesday at 9 a.m.)

I know this is a very low-drama thing, all things considered. The purpose of this exercise isn't to trip us up, or make us fail. It's about confirming that what we want to do is doable, that it's something a student with our level of training is capable of, and that we have actually looked at something other than our navel before proposing it. It is not a drama.

But it sounds like a drama, you know? Thesis! Proposal! "Defense!" (I keep putting "defense" in scare quotes because it takes 20 minutes if they really really take their time on it, from what I've heard. It's not like the PhD Thesis Proposal that is 50 pages and the whole department votes on whether or not you're allowed to do it.) It's an Academic Hazing Ritual.

So! So! I'm hoping it will be okay. And at this point there's not much more I can do until Dr T gets back to me with suggestions/edits/corrections although, as I've said, she's overall been very happy with the writing I'm doing.

And once this hurdle is... hurdled... it's a summer of hanging out in the beautifully climate controlled archives, looking at letters written by dead people. Cuz my life is awesome!

*hides under desk*

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Cry panic, and release the dogs of self-doubt!

2010-05-11T19:24:57Z

AAAA! Thesis proposal deadline & "defense" date has been set! AAAAA! AAAA!

*panics*

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