This Week on Thesis-Drama Theatre...

(Completion Day minus peer editing, revisions, defence) Today marks the day of my glorious return to form. My form being not just the mindspace of writing in this blog, but also that of someone who is in the final throes of their Master's Thesis. The key to my progress? Staying away from blogging. That is correct, like a TV sitcom or Soap dealing with a pregnant or salary-greedy primadonna actor/actress, I am poorly explaining away an awkward and misunderstood absence. The important part however, is that I am back!

Update: The thesis trucks along, slowly if not surely. My first draft is complete, and aside from peer editing (and subsequent revisions) it will be ready to go to the supervisor soon (relatively speaking of course) - grain of salt in hand. This is both exciting and nerve wracking. Mostly because the supervisor has not read the thesis or heard specifics of it since....well since I last wrote a post for this blog (that's a year for anyone counting). But nonetheless exciting to be further along in the process.

The peer editing has been interesting if only because of the process of selection. Years in an MA program, cavorting with PhDs, academics and just plain ole smart people has left me a veritable fleet of people who like me enough to offer their services. Selection then comes down to who I think has the time (some people offer, but given their own academic or occupational demands, it would be absurd to ask them), who has the expertise, and who has the ability to deliver bad news. It's not that I am expecting bad news from my editors, it's just a precaution, as confidence in the project can waver like the favour of a disinterested prof. It is thus important to pick people who will honestly tell you that it blows, but precisely not in those words.

Just a quick post to start folks, but let it be known, I'M BACK!...and here to stay.

'Marking my return' song of the day: Back in the Saddle Again - Aerosmith
and,
'For any endearing fans' song for the past year: All Apologies - Nirvana

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.