Stressed: we had Henries in halls of residence during my UG because that was (according to estate services) the only vacuum that could clean the filth of UG students, ha ha.

I hope everybody got some work done today (whether or not writing up). I got feedback on my final (main) chapter (yay!) yesterday and have started integrating that today. Hopefully I'll get that all done and dusted tomorrow so that I can actually move on to revising the whole thing and see if any of my arguments still hold... (keep fingers crossed that they do or I'll need to do even more re-writes than I thought).

Lol Livvie, they are pretty excellent - I've got 3 kids, 2 dogs, 5 cats, a parrot and a husband and its the only hoover thats come close to coping ;-) We also have a dyson left here by the landlady - I'd used them before when customers thought I'd love one due to the hype and I hate the thing with a passion - so much harder work lol - ahhh the joys of domesticity :-) Fingers tightly crossed for you!

Today was such a struggle. I had a little bit to do to finish drafting a chapter, so I did that but after that I just couldn't get into doing anything :( It doesn't help that my OH is away on work for a week and the house just feels weird without him. I felt guilty about not working, but there wasn't much that I could do to motivate myself.

I think one of the crucial thing that we all have to keep an eye on is what Walminski said, not trying to do too much at once. *Maybe* it's ok to not work late into the night, *maybe* it's ok to take the rest of the day off if you just finished drafting a whole chapter.

Well done on finishing the draft chapter, Pink_Numbers. I wish I was at that stage. I've just been taking notes all day - and wondering why I had to make my research so big. I could have gotten away with just doing a descriptive phenomenological study. Never mind.

Word of the day: Career.

Thought of the day: What else, other than research, can I do as a career?

Sorry I haven't checked in for a while, been so so this week but nothing major to report.

How is work going for you? Have you started to write?

Been a so-so week with me as well, so far. I'm writing though. I'm making myself write! I'm going to finish this 1st draft of a chapter before I go to bed, so it has to be done. I've been dumped again too for not giving mypartner enough time. I'm fine with it though - I wasn't emotionally attached and, to be quite frank, wasn't really in the mood for anything. I think it was the kindest thing because she's got a life she wants to be getting on with, especially being a good 5 years younger than me, and I've got 'this' to do. I think she expected me to fight, say or do something to try and reconcile things, but I just said okay. I'm not particularly good company anyway at the moment. I just think about work all the time, like a cross between a much dumber version of Isaac Newton and, erm, a very moody Mr Rochester from Jane Eyre. Except, I haven't got a mad wife locked away somewhere; it's a 50% completed PhD that nag, nag, nags for attention.

So, yep, I have started writing. (up)

Sorry to hear about the gf, I get you about the not having time. I had to declare that I will be a totally useless gf until this is done. For me, it helps that we live together, or I would just not have time to spend with my OH. I have no idea how he deals with my a) lack of attention to him, b) me being stressed about writing all the time, c) not having much time off, d) me leaving most of the work around the house to him.

I sort of see myself as a female Byron or Sherlock Holmes... only without the genius bit. Oh and my word is considerably insignificant in comparison!

Well done for being so determined with your writing, I wish I could be so determined! I do have a policy of starting to write when I have about 70% of the reading done, so that I can really see where all the notes fall into, and where I still need to read up more. Afterall, you can't improve your writing if you don't have any writing!

I'm taking the day off today to go to a festival where the OH is working. I haven't seen him in three days!

Well, that was a weekend I never want to repeat. I've completed two new draft chapters - the methodology chapter and methods chapter - and sent them off. I think they're pretty horrible, but at least I've got something done. Now I have to start the results chapters - 3 of those to write. So, I'll make a start with results chapter 1 and hopefully have planned out how it's going to look by the end of today.

well I said I would be on here after my weeks away. I'm here having spent all monring on a coffee and sugar high, I'm almost ready to start work, almost. After a dog walk I will post a list of write up things I have to do!

right, this week I need to have written the intro and method to my second publication paper. This is totally doable and really only involves 2 paragraphs on the intro and the method copied from my superviors old paper - well paraphrased, she told me to do it :$ I just have to rely on the procrastination demon to stay away!

Don't suppose I'm the only one here who wishes they had a time machine? I'd go back and force myself to write everything up as I went along rather than having the bulk to do at the end :( I've got 5 chapters to hand in on thursday!

Hmm, I suppose, although I did write some stuff up - the stuff I did has all had to be changed because my writing style has developed, so its swings and roundabouts. I am glad I put a load of literature together along the way though.

That's a point. Had all the procedure and most of the stats/results done. But I definately wish I'd put together the background literature. I collected it and filed it away to write up 'later'.

Okay, another chapter - one of the results chapters - has been drafted. I'll e-mail the copy off to my supervisors tomorrow. Just got to put in a conceptual map, neaten the tables and maybe chop and change some of the quotes. Loadsmore chapters to go yet God, I hate writing up!:-s:-(

You can do it!(up)