Calling all PS thesis-tacklers, researchers, and students!

[gwendolyn]

Hehe, you guys are so great! Thank you for being so supportive and encouraging!

I haven''t done any work for the past couple of days because I got really sick again. I went back to the doctor yesterday, and she agreed that it was a physical manifestation of all the different stresses in my life (there''s a vent thread in this forum somewhere that details the stuff, if anyone is curious). Anyway, she diagnosed me with IBS, gave me some info on it, and prescribed anti-depressants to (hopefully) help with the stress. I take them at night because they induce drowsiness, so I''ve only had one so far, but I am crossing my fingers and toes that they help so I can stay on target and finish by my deadlines!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Delster - enjoy the SATC movie! I''m going to see it on Friday night with some girlfriends, I''m very excited

I''m sorry I didn''t answer about the PI question before but I see pjean addressed it - it is basically your boss while you do your PhD research. The amount of involvement they have in your day to day work is highly variable, but they are responsible for mentoring you and making sure you are progressing, etc...In my case, mine is rarely around the lab because he is so busy traveling, being a dean, and so forth, but he''s pretty good about staying in touch and being on top of things, as long as I hold up my end of that.

Gwen - so sorry to hear about all your health troubles

That sounds incredibly unpleasant, and I''m sure feeling so rotten just makes the stress even worse. Fingers (and kitty paws

) crossed here that the meds work and you feel better soon.

Well - everyone cross your fingers for me, I''ve got about three different experiments to do today, plus a meeting with my PI, but if I can get through it all the rest of the week I can focus on my interview on Thursday and then hopefully having a fun day on Friday

 

[pjean]

AmberGretchen: fingers crossed! Lots of PS dust coming back your way.

Gwendolyn: {{{hugs}}} I''m so sorry to hear you''ve been feeling lousy. Yet another casualty of graduate level education.

The fact that you''ve come as far as you have under this kind of stress is amazing. I hope you can get right back in there! From my experience, the anti-depressants may take a few weeks to make a dent in your stress level, so be nice to yourself for a bit, and don''t panic. You''ll make it.

As for me, I need to stop reading commentary on the Democratic primaries and start doing real work.

 

[gwendolyn]

AmberG: Thank you for that! Yes, feeling sick makes me more stressed because I get behind on my work, which stresses me out and makes me overreact to other things--it''s a terrible cycle, but I''ve got this medicine, my adjusted diet, a plan of attack for exercise AND your fingers and kitty paws out there helping me, so I know I''ll be ok!

How did your experiments go today? Did you get through all three? I hope the meeting with your PI went well (I keep reading that as ''private investigator''

) and that you totally rock out your interview tomorrow! I''ve got one too, so I will be crossing my fingers (no paws here, alas

) for both of us tomorrow!

pjean: Thank you for the hugs and the encouragement, my dear! I am optimistic that things will improve because it doesn''t feel like me against the world anymore--I''ve got things on my side, like the diet and exercise plan and the medicine, to help me deal with it all, and of course J who has always stood by me to help bring me up when I am feeling low. My best friend from home, B, called tonight, and I told him what was going on and of course he was supportive as well and really made my day, and I''ve got wonderful support from you guys as well, so I will be ok. The trick is that I just have to remember that the next time I feel down!

By the way, I TOTALLY don''t blame you for getting sucked into the primaries--exciting stuff going on! I feel mostly out of the loop being way out here in the UK, but I know enough to be excited!!!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Gwen - I really hope the medicine does help, it sounds like a bad cycle. I know a lot of people who have developed or exacerbated health problems while in graduate school, so you''re definitely not alone. But I really hope it gets better soon!

So I didn''t have my meeting with my PI today after all - he e-mailed me about 1.5 hours before we were supposed to meet that he had forgotten to tell me he is in New York

Actually, its kind of a mixed blessing - it forced me to get some stuff done around the lab that I needed to get done, but I would have preferred a bit more notice

Chugging along on my experiments - I think (fingers crossed) I can get through all three today, which would really lighten my load for the rest of the week

 

[gwendolyn]

Oh, so much for my interview today. I realized last night that I hadn''t checked the bus schedule on how to get back to Cam once it was over, and sure enough there was a problem. Last bus out of the town leaves at 5:30pm, and my interview didn''t even start until 7pm! It''s too far to walk (11 miles), I have no car, a taxi would be too expensive and there is no train that operates there anymore--although that didn''t stop 3 (3!) employees at the agency from trying to get me to use it. I had to tell them twice it was not an option since it was shut down in 1964. And they WORK there!

Anyway, it''s rescheduled for 4pm on the 18th. I''m kind of relieved, because I''ve got a lot of writing to do and this gives me more time to work. Can''t forget about this paper, no matter how excited I am to have a job interview!

AmberG, did you get through all three of your experiments yesterday? Are you psyched for your interview today? You are going to do great!

Delster, how''s it going, babe? You doing ok?

pjean, how are you faring? Did you get some work done or did you stay enmeshed in the political goings-on?

 

[gwendolyn]

Happy Friday, all--I hope everyone is doing ok? Seems like I am the only one checking in?

Not that I have much to report. This week has been busy with me getting sick, having my last class & farewell party, and then I found out yesterday evening that my uncle passed away. Funeral is Monday, and there''s no way I can go, which feels pretty awful. He was always around when I was a kid; would be nice if I could make it.

Anyway, the plan for my writing was to really get in gear today to write, but I''ve been feeling pretty low and not motivated. Instead of writing, I''ve been looking at job listings. So I''m still being productive but not in the manner I should be.

 

[Delster]

Morning (or afternoon as it is now!) all!

So I had a wonderful time with my girlfriends, saw the SATC movie and went for cocktails after. The waitress was telling us about how she's so sick of carrying martini glasses around

They were having a SATC party the next night and she said they were planning on making 600 cosmos. Yikes!!!

My girlfriends were asking me about diamonds and I did my best to educate them: 'ladies, repeat after me, GIA TRIPLE EX, GIA TRIPLE EX, GIA TRIPLE EX'

In other news one of BF's good friends proposed to his girlfriend on their five year anniversary at the weekend

We are made up for them, they're the loveliest couple and so right for one another. They plan to go to Antwerp to get the ring (over here, the ring is nearly always bought together after the proposal).

Amber I did enjoy the movie, it was great! You'll have a blast tonight. I think we're having parallel weeks workwise! That was really bad that your superviser forgot about your meeting like that. Then again, mine forgot to tell me they were going on a year long sabbatical. Someone else told me. After they'd left

By contrast, a friend has a supervisor who's on a professorial exchange to Harvard and he flies home once a month to check in with my friend. How fantastic is that? Anyway, how are you getting on? How did your interview go? I was rooting for you!!!

pjean it's been a dramatic week primaries-wise, I don't blame you for getting sidetracked! A little distraction as a reward is never a bad thing I think

gwen I'm so sorry to hear you've been suffering again pet! You absolutely did the right thing going back to the doc and I really hope it all starts to come together now real soon. There's a saying in Irish that a good start is half the work. You have definitely got the good start under you, between the amazing progress you made this past week, and taking care of yourself by going back to the doc. We are here whenever you need a cheering squad! That's crazy about the interview and the transport mess. Isn't it ridiculous how car-dependant we've all become?

OK so while I was up in uni-land the past couple of days I took the opportunity to raid the library. I got hold of the latest edition of 'the tome' (I was working off the second-to-latest), and seven other books that look really interesting. The plan for the afternoon is to kick back with one of the shorter ones and just read read read. Tomorrow I'll pick up the tome again.

Oh I also found that some joker had taken my name off of my library desk (we have 'assigned' desks that other students can use if we're not there), written 'd**khead' on the reverse, and then re-inserted it in the name slot, with the reverse side showing of course. Ah, the joys! You have to laugh at these things, no?

While I was in the big city I did some retail therapy too, anyone wanna see?

 

[gwendolyn]

Hahah, we were posting at the exact same time--nice! And yes, we want to see the results of your retail therapy.

 

[Delster]

Oh Gwen I'm so sorry about your Uncle. That is horrible. Was it unexpected?




ETA - and here are the results of the retail therapy (I sound like a Eurovision panel person!)

Cap Sleeve Daisy Trim Linen Dress - I love this so much!

Strappy Linen Dress with Patch Pockets - so cute and comfy!

Incredibly comfy peep-toe wedge slingbacks - these are dressier than what I was looking for but they're so comfy and they're perfect with the little dresses. The colour is actually paler IRL than on the website, they're much more of a nude shade than a taupe.

I also tried on this blue silk dress which felt like heaven on earth, and the colour was amazing on me, but it was supremely unflattering in shape. I'll keep my eye out for pieces in that colour though, it's definitely very flattering on me.

I also got a couple of t-shirts in Penneys (that's Primark in the UK - did you know they're an Irish company?) for €3 each, and a cotton full circle skirt with hidden netting underneath. I plan to wear that with ballet flats when we go to the swing dancing club in New York

 

[gwendolyn]

Well, yes and no. He had a quadruple bypass surgery about a month ago, but seemed to be doing well afterwards. The assumption at the moment is that he died of a heart attack, but they aren''t positive. Over the past couple years, he''s been showing signs of Alzheimer''s (he''s technically my great-uncle), so I suppose going quickly with a heart attack is better than having to battle Alzheimer''s? I dunno. It''s my dad''s uncle, and my family used to spend lots of time with him when I was growing up because he was my dad''s favourite uncle and a priest so he would take my brothers and I on little day trips like we were his own kids. I''m sad to not be there for my dad, and to not get to really say goodbye.

 

[Delster]

Aw dear Gwen that is so hard. A close family friend of ours went in much the same way. I''ll be thinking of you for sure this weekend and I''ll say prayers for your Uncle and your family.

 

[gwendolyn]

Thank you, sweetness, that means a lot to me. I am not sure what I am going to do with myself on Monday--I wish there was money to attend the funeral, but I guess I will have to make do with being there in spirit and talking to the family on the phone.

Anyway, enough about sad stuff. I LOVE the goodies you bought! The dresses are super cute and the shoes are adorable and how great that they are comfy! The shoes in my closet tend to either be comfy OR cute, never both!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Gwen - so sorry to hear about your great-Uncle. That is so hard, especially when you are far away. I was on the East Coast (US) when a favorite great-Aunt passed a few years ago, and it was too expensive for me to fly back for the funeral. Its very hard not to be there. I think one thing that helped was finding some time to be quiet and by myself on that day and think about her and how I could honor the many wonderful memories she left me with. I think I''ve been a slightly more generous person since that day (or at least I''ve tried to be) and I know she would be proud of that.

I''ll send good thoughts your way and to your family at this time of loss - I really hope you are all able to find some comfort in this difficult time.

Delster - I do think we are having parallel weeks - I did some retail therapy yesterday as well (I will post in a bit when I''ve had time to take some pics). I''m so excited about SATC tonight and to see my friend who moved to St. Louis in January and I''ve not seen her since April - she and I are going to spend some time together this afternoon before everyone meets up for dinner

Yeah, so my interview yesterday...I really don''t know how I did. I feel like parts of it I felt very confident and talked easily, and I know I sounded enthusiastic. But when I went over the case part later with DH, I realized I had dropped a zero somewhere in my calculations (they are hard to do over the phone!). I also forgot a summary at the end of the case. But I think I was very thorough and logical about the case otherwise, and that my reasoning on the calculations was correct, I just dropped that one zero. So I really don''t know. I''ll find out if I got the summer program on June 20th, so fingers crossed until then. Even if I didn''t get it, I''ll still apply for full-time hire in the Fall, and I know I got a summer program with another company, so at least I''ll have one...

 

[gwendolyn]

AmberG, thanks for the sympathy about my uncle. It is hard, but I know my family will understand. I haven''t figured out what I''m going to do with myself on Monday, but I will definitely take some time to perform some sort of a personal remembrance ceremony-sort-of-thing.

Sounds like your interview went pretty well! I will be crossing all fingers and toes until June 20th for you (which will make it a bit hard to walk but you''re worth it

).

So, I did absolutely nothing on the paper yesterday (couldn''t focus, although I did apply for some jobs). But today I''ve got a little over 200 words done already (started at 6), so there has been progress! Yay!

Back to work with me. I hope the rest of you are doing well and either working hard or playing hard!

 

[gwendolyn]

Ok, am back and ready for ACTION!

I did ok yesterday--didn't quite meet my word goal, BUT I did accomplish something (first time in ages, feels like!) AND I did a lot of reading!

So, the plan for today is to get right back into it. Got my study music all cued up and ready! And I compiled a bunch of articles for the section I'm writing today--the history of education and disability in the United States. Woo!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Go Gwen!!! You sound like you are really on a roll.

I''ve gotten no work at all done this weekend - just got an unpleasant note from my advisor asking why I haven''t been at more lab meetings over the last month. Umm...could that be because I''ve been scrambling to get the experiments that you wanted me to do done, and because my samples tend to arrive right in the middle of those meetings? I feel like I keep having to have this conversation with him and it drives me nuts because I can''t possibly be in two places at once. Grr...Ironically, the e-mail accidentally got routed to my junk e-mail box, so I just found it yesterday. Wonder if I can pretend I never got it at all...

 

[pjean]

AmberGretchen, that stinks. Especially since I''m sure "I had to attend lab meeting" is not an ok reason for why you haven''t done more experiments.

I thought you were kind of on a roll experiment wise - don''t let this torpedo you!

And speaking of on a roll, Gwen! You sound so positive! I think I''m inspired to get some stuff done today. Thanks! I''m so sorry to hear about your uncle, and I''m sorry I was MIA while you were dealing with it.

I also keep meaning to post to the vent you had earlier about money and work visas and school. It hits a little too close to home for comfort though, so I generally get half way through a post, and then give up and go do something else. I didn''t even read the thread until recently, since I was kind of avoiding thinking about that particular problem. So in the absence of a meaningful post, just wanted to say that I completely understand, and it''s not just you!

Delster? Who''s winning, you or the tome?

 

[WishfulThinking]

Oooo, I should join in! Several of my friends are writing theses this coming year, but everyone is so daunted and stressed [already...] that there is an unspoken rule that those who discuss it are to be verbally hit over the head with a bat.

That said, it might be nice to talk to everyone here about it so I don''t go insane! Plus, you''re all so sweet for cheering each other on and being supportive.

I am an undergrad student, and I am writing a senior honors thesis, which is essentially a one and a half year process and 120 pages, so it''s NOTHING compared to what so many of you are embarking on. I can only imagine! Actually, I won''t have to imagine, since I''ll be doing the same thing in grad school starting... um, immediately after I graduate from undergrad. Fantastic...

I am a politics/gender studies student, and my thesis is a conglomeration of the two. I''m writing about abstinence only sex education programs in middle and high schools as they relate to sexual regulation by the state [a la Foucault] more generally, specifically in the area of welfare reform. The whole thing is basically a discourse and Foucauldian analysis, with no charts, or graphs, or anything other than my own ideas involved. Definitely a "go to the library and think something up on your own time" sort of deal. Definitely advantages and disadvantages there, I guess. It''s the scariest thing I have ever had to write.

So far it''s been nothing but trouble, starting with which department to do it in. We choose that, as well as our primary advisor and the rest of our thesis committee. It sounds like a dream, and for a lot of people it really is, but for me it''s been a nightmare! First, I wasn''t "politics" enough for the politics department. Then, all of the gender studies faculty with any connection to my area of research whatsoever are on sabbatical. I have asked no less than SEVEN different faculty members to advise me, and only my 8th choice said yes; unfortunately, she isn''t really that invested in me as a student, so I am doing A LOT of this on my own. Ew. I will need all the encouragement that can be drudged up! The good news is that it isn''t due until early May of 2009, so I have almost a year more to work on it. Minus all of the page deadlines I have to meet over the course of the year, but there is a bit of flexibility there.

Good luck to all of you- you are so dedicated and intelligent and have so much to be proud of!

 

[Delster]

Gwen, thinking of you today honey. I''ll say some prayers for your Uncle and for you and your family. Take some time to honour him today and be gentle with yourself.

I can''t believe all the work you''re getting done, you are truly an inspiration!!!

Amber that sucks. Supervisors can be so dense sometimes

Sounds to me like your interview went well but I know how it goes with these things, you overanalyse like crazy and someone else can tell you a thousand times that it went well and you''ll still worry! How was your girly night out on Friday? Did you enjoy the movie?

Wishful welcome! But oh my word, you mentioned the F-word in your first post - Foucault!!!

We''ve a lot in common with the style of the research I think. And I didn''t get my first choice supervisor either - that person was on sabbatical the year I secured funding so I was placed under another person ''temporarily''. Yeah. Guess how that one panned out?

Anyway, on the topic of not asking research students about their work, have you seen this? I know people mean well but I swear I want to slap them when they ask ''how''s the writing going?''!

Date: 6/8/2008 12:51:28 PM
Author: pjean
Delster? Who''s winning, you or the tome?

The tome

What kind of cruel BF makes a hammock stand over the weekend???

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 6/9/2008 6:01:36 AM
Author: Delster
Gwen, thinking of you today honey. I''ll say some prayers for your Uncle and for you and your family. Take some time to honour him today and be gentle with yourself.

Thank you, sweetie, I really appreciate that.



I have been motivated this weekend to keep my mind off other things, but also because I am getting far behind! So I don''t really think I have been much of an inspiration, honestly. I am just thankful that my supervisor understands my health problems (she doesn''t know about my uncle yet) and has been lenient with me. I am doing fairly well so far today but need to stay focused, so I am getting back to work now.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Gwen - I hope you can find some quiet moments today. I know it must be hard to not be with your family today, but I''m also sure you will find some special qays to honor your uncle on your own, and I''m sure that he knew how much you cared for him.

pjean - yeah, somehow its never a good excuse for why more research didn''t get done, is it? And yet, if you were to go to all the "required" seminars and lab meetings, etc... (at least in my program), you''d only have about half of your work week left to do experiments. Especially as we are at a campus that is really inconvenient to all the other campuses at my school, and not all the talks are simulcast here. Ah well, such is the life of a grad student

I did send the PI a long note last night very carefully explaining the scheduling issues, and he just sent me something back that said "thanks, AmberG." He generally doesn''t play weird mind games though so hopefully that''s the end of it

wishful - welcome. Your thesis topic sounds fascinating (I had a second major in college in public policy, and often wish I had gone more in that direction with my graduate work). Its definitely a lot of work though - I did an undergrad honors thesis and it took a lot of time and work and thought. I really hope you are able to find a more supportive professor (or even a grad student) who will help you develop your ideas, even if they aren''t an advisor.

Del - I did see the movie, and I really liked it. I enjoyed drooling over the clothes and the shoes and the bags, although the product placement got to be a bit much at times. I thought they really underdeveloped some of the story lines, and overdeveloped others (that seemed to be a common sentiment on the other thread about the movie). Unlike most other people seemed to be, I was actually really bothered that Miranda took Steve back. I guess its different when you have a kid, but infidelity has always been a black and white issue for me. Its one of the first things I told my DH when we first started dating - I just don''t think that I personally could ever trust someone again, because I just don''t buy any of the excuses for why that could happen - I just think it must be possible to never put yourself in a situation like that if you think you might be tempted.

But I had a really fun time out with the girls and it was great to see my friend who I haven''t seen in a long time - we got in some quality shopping time just the two of us, and then we all had a really nice dinner before the movie.

On the school front, I''ve got a short week this week because we leave on Thursday to go to the East Coast for a friend''s wedding and a short visit with the ILs. Probably no major experiments for me this week (too many lab meetings

), but I''m hoping to get some quality data analysis done so I can hit the ground running when I come back next week.

 

[Delster]

Gwen I hope you got through yesterday OK. We were thinking of you. I'm so glad to hear that your supervisor has a heart, that is so important. Good for her for being human! Wonder could we introduce her to pjean's and Amber's supervisors?

And not withstanding all your demurring, I still think you are an inspiration and there is no swaying me from it!!! Girl you are getting more work done than me and look at the hard time you're having. My only excuse is I'm a flake

Yes you are inspiring and there's no getting out of it!

Amber I'm glad to hear things got sorted out with your PI (I'm learning the lingo here!). I'm glad too that you enjoyed the movie and the chance to have some quality girly time. I met up with one of my cousins last night and she was all talk about her wedding and she showed me the wedding dress she's having made, and how she plans to do her hair etc. She was so cute, all loved up and full of the joys of wedding planning. Hope the data analysis is going well for you!

I am SO SICK of this tome. Ugh. BF won't be home tonight until way late so I am going to pull a late one and see if I can't whip some b*tt. Take that, tome!

 

[gwendolyn]

Good morning, all!

Ok, so I did reasonably well yesterday, but am still only halfway done with this chapter that was originally due last Thursday--eeek! I''ve got to finish it up, but half the day is shot because I am getting together with some friends (and possibly my supervisor) for lunch, and then I have a supervision at 2pm, which I HOPE goes ok. I am getting feedback on my findings chapter, and I''m kinda worried that I screwed it all up, since I haven''t ever written up findings from my research before. Oh well, cross your fingers it goes ok!

So once I get back from all that (probably 3:30 or 4) I am going to write like the dickens! I need to, see, because I am going up to visit J tomorrow and I CAN''T WAIT!!!!

But, I want to only have to worry about my conclusion and intro while I''m up there, so I need to finish the lit review tonight! I can do it...I think. Extra time with J is the best motivator, so I think I will be all good tonight!

Way to go, Delster! You beat that thing up!

AmberG, ooh, sounds like you''ve got a break to look forward to this weekend also! Excellent!

pjean: How''s it going with you? I keep meaning to give you a big ol'' *HUG* for commenting about my vent thread, and tell you how sorry I am that you know all too well about those stresses. I hope everything works out for you and me both!

 

[Delster]

Gwen we''re in the same boat! I''ve been doing some reading this morning, then in an hour I have a dental appointment a half hour''s drive away so I have to leave in half an hour and I won''t be back until half one. After that I''ll be gagging for some lunch so I hope to sit back down to the books around two / half two.

Keep each other company this evening?

Hope the supervision goes well - I have every faith in you!!!

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 6/10/2008 6:34:27 AM
Author: Delster
Gwen we''re in the same boat! I''ve been doing some reading this morning, then in an hour I have a dental appointment a half hour''s drive away so I have to leave in half an hour and I won''t be back until half one. After that I''ll be gagging for some lunch so I hope to sit back down to the books around two / half two.


Keep each other company this evening?

Hope the supervision goes well - I have every faith in you!!!

Thank you, sweetness! And yes, absolutely, you''ll be my study date for tonight!

Ok, off to my lunch party! See y''all later!

 

[pjean]

Well, it''s been a lousy week so far and it''s only 11am on Tuesday. I had to present at lab meeting yesterday, and I pretty much got my head handed to me. I handled it incredibly maturely, by becoming defensive and argumentative, and in general a good time was had by all.

I really need to finish this thesis and get out of here!

Therefore, I resolve to have a productive day today, and get a complete draft of my chapter 2 results section, even if it''s full of {insert something here} marks.

Delster, I hope the tome is quaking in fear! Go get it! Maybe we should start calling it THE TOME.

Gwen, thanks for the hug. Back at ya! As my fiance tells me, this too shall pass. (that''s my motto right now.) I hope you have a productive evening, so that you can get quality time with J. What a great reward.

Amber, maybe the lack of time for experiments is a blessing in disguise. Otherwise, that data analysis just piles up, doesn''t it? Did your experiments last week go ok?

 

[Delster]

Does this monster look even remotely scared of me? Nope!

It''s not clear from the photo but those pages are wafer thin. Like the pages in a Bible. This thing is laughing at me!!! Must.kick.TOME.into.orbit.TODAY!!!

 

[gwendolyn]

Delster, is that what you''re writing, or what you''re writing about? Either way:

.

pjean, thanks! Alas, I''m basically doing nothing right now. I''ve got this giant topic (inclusive education) that I need to talk about in 2000 words or less and I''m basically freezing because I just don''t know where to begin! Blarg.

 

[pjean]

Gwen, that''s what the {insert something here} marks are for. I totally freeze, and so I''ve taught myself that if I''m staring at the page for more than 2 minutes I just put in brackets with {brilliant sentence here} or {2 sentences about physical challenges} and move on. Otherwise, my ability to stare at the blank screen would be pretty much unrivaled.