Google Turns to Goggles When You Type it Too Many Times

(Day 1 billion) So there is much news (i.e. excuses as to why I have not updated the blog). Firstly, I have a new job as a government mule. The basic breakdown of my day/job consists of me on Google for hours. Google this, google that, lunch, google these, google those, home. The government spends big bucks on academic databases and fancy referencing tools and all I like to use is Google. All in all not a terrible way to spend a paid day, and I even sneak in a game or two of foosball too.

I've also agreed to do a speaking engagement for a local hgh school. The downer is that in the negotiation of this, I have ventured further and further from the original topic. In trying to turn my project into something that 15 year olds can digest it has lost a lot of its edge.... and body. But if I remember the high school cast of characters correctly all I need to do is put together an awesome PowerPoint slide show and they will be happy/not all angsty and stuff.

Finally, I have also joined up at the local letter-named-fitness facility. Gonna pump some iron and rock the delts! ... A joke that goes over a lot better offline, when you can see that I would never "rock my delts." What they do have that I am interested in is a pool and a gymnasium. The pool is no big deal other than the fact that it is right behind my government mule feeding trough, which is nice. But the gymnasium is nice because it hosts pick-up volleyball of a surprisingly high calibre. Frankly, it is always surprising when there is decent volleyball to be had, but that is a story for another blog.

So there is the life wrap up: job, speech, gym. Notice how thesis wasn't in the top three? Wonder why? It's because I am not working on it! Combination of severe writer's block, lack of a positive number in the time/energy quotient, and just plain not wanting to until things settle in a bit....you know, after I adequetly rock my delts.

In celebration of a new exciting job song of the day: Getupgotoworkgohomegotobed - Rat Silo

Also: a long overdue congratulations on the successful defences of two highly intelligent, superiorly well written theses on the parts of Mr. Tab A and Ms. DoGooder, fellow members of my cohort, and new members of PhD programs in the area. I tip my hat to you both.

Abstract: Another Adjective for My Thesis Work

(Day 466...or so) The craziness of the summer is almost over (does that mean I will update more often?), and the monotony of the school year has almost begun. This means that work begins, thesising must get moving, and also the applications for conferences, journals and other schools commence as well. Of all those things, the conferences are the only one of those potentials of which I am currently capable. In order to apply for conferences, you must provide an abstract for your work. Now, the abstract (short summary of the paper) is normally meant to summarize the paper, but as I am unwilling to write the paper until I have been accepted to a conference, it actually ends up being a summary of what I think/would like/hopefully will do. Professional rampant but simultaneously frowned on.

Another issue with abstracts is that they are limited to 200-300 words (sometimes as low as 150), and sometimes accompanied with a 30 word summary as well. Usually this is no problem at all, as I tend more towards brevity and succinct writing anyways. Since engaging in thesis writing, which tends to be very wordy and lengthy, it has been quite a bit of trouble reverting back. 200 words does not let you say much at all, but you can work with it. 30 words is a sentence! Just one! I am used to having to summarize my work for every passerby who knows that I am doing an MA, but to write it out into one sentence is quite the daunting task. I am not even sure I could summarize this blog in one sentence. "An oft-neglected collection of thoughts, ponderings and ruminations on the ridiculousness of academic life for one young music lover." Hmm, well that isn't half bad, if only I could use that for my summary. If only I had thought to write my thesis on the experience of writing a thesis, then I would already be done, and that would still be my summary. Hello PhD idea!

I can't believe I found a relevant song of the day: "Musically Inclined" by Abstract Tribe Unique