June 26, 2006

where's the good goddamn chocolate? WHERE?

Posted by dogpossum on June 26, 2006 2:32 PM in the category thesis

I take time out to focus my eyes.

I'm having trouble staying focussed on these nasty chapter rewrites. I certainly can't divide the text up into individual words any more - it's just one blob of known-by-heart text now, and I can no longer (if I ever could) tell what's crap and what's not. I am relying entirely on the Supes' scribbledy comments, praying she knows what she's doing. The bits where she says 'rewrite this' or 'need to make this clearer' almost make me cry. Creative work is kind of beyond me right now. I'm not even sure I know what the thesis is about any more, let alone what each chapter is about.

I am definitely No Good at introductions. Each one has been so scribbled over it looks like a nest of black jellyfish squabbling over fountain pen. I just suck at this part. I'm still not entirely sure about what I should actually be doing. Because I'm just following directions now (it seemed the best idea, especially after I was instructed to edit the same section at least 3 times, crossing back and forth over the same lines, editing, reverting, editing and reverting again), I'm not actually learning anything. I do feel a bit like a real dummy.
But it's not a sad thing - it's kind of nice to just stop thinking (critically or otherwise) and just be told what to do. I think I want one of those menial jobs where you do repetitive tasks over and over again. Maybe I should work at McDonalds, or do a *deleted* dance class.

I'm not sure if I should be making things shorter and crisper, or longer and artier. I'm pretty sure some parts were to be longer and artier, but some parts which I had made artier are now to be reverted to crisper forms. Sigh.
And why is it that I only seem to know about 20 words, now? Surely there are more words out there in the english language?

Look, I'll just go back to Doing As I'm Told for now, then when I've finished each individual chapter's overall edit, I'll go on and actually write (for about the zillionth time) The Introduction again (formerly Chapter One the literature review and The Introduction. And formerly-to-that Capter one: the Introduction). Can you feel my pain?

Frankly, I have no idea, at all, whatsoever, about what I'm doing, what I should do, and what counts as 'good stuff' or not.

Double sigh.

Where's the good goddamn chocolate? WHERE? I'm not normally the sort of barbie who fusses over things like chocolate - you know the type. They have posters or tshirts that say things like 'i love chocolate'. I like the stuff, but heck, there are other, more important things in my (gastronomic) life.

But right now, I just feel that it would be appropriate.

Posted by dogpossum on June 26, 2006 2:32 PM in the category thesis