I've lost count...

HI SARAH! Good to hear from you again. Thanks for the update...you'll get stuff done, and sounds like you'll be really busy! We miss you around here too! I have a random question for you...I got an email from CanSIA yesterday, and it was a news release stating that the gov't and the OPA announced the suspension of the ReSOP pending further review. So...do you have any insider info as to what's going on?? Is your job to be the reviewer of the program?? I can't find any other news release from either the OPA or the gov't, and I'm super curious. Anyways...do you know?

Also...HI MARIANNE!

As far as an update from me....I've lost count as to how many days until d-day...but I've committed to getting a draft to Ian by June 23rd. He's checked with Paul, and it looks like a July defense date could be in the works as long as my draft "is in good shape" by the time I give it to them. I'm going to be working my ass off to meet this deadline, because I would LOVE to get outta here by July. Anyways, I've started writing the results chapter. I think that it will go fairly quickly because it's just reporting results. Just because I've said that it will probably take forever, but I'll let you know! I'm up to page 62...so it feels like I'm progressing. Other than that....things are trucking along.

Good to hear from everyone!

Where's that Sarah girl?

Hi Everyone!!!!!

Yes, I've been absent from the blogsphere for toooo long. And, just in case you don't remember, this is what I look like.

<--- Sarah (at last year's Hillside)

So I've been pretty busy for the last month or so (hardly on the thesis... but more on that later).

I'm working full time for the summer with the City of Guelph in the Waterworks Division. Specifically, I was hired for the Healthy Landscapes Program. Monday thru Thursday I work 11:30-7pm as a Landscape Adviser. I go to people's home for a 30-minute consultation about outdoor water efficiency and establishing a healthy, pesticide-free lawn and garden. Mostly I talk to people about how to keep their grass looking good, and selecting drought tolerant plants. Community Based Social Marketing at it's finest!

It's been pretty fun so far, and I've got to see some wonderful gardens... and some gardens that need a lot of attention. Fridays I'm in the office 8:30-4pm working on a separate project, an energy audit of the Waterworks facility. I'm basically putting together a Request For Proposal, and getting some of the preliminary work done for the assessment.

In other news, I have things lined up for September!!! I had a THIRD interview for a position at the OPA a few weeks ago. This time for a 1-year contract position in the department that runs the Standard Offer Program. And, I was hired ON THE SPOT! I'm very excited, and actually feel a lot more calm about everything. (It's relieving a bit to have a plan for the fall). I will be moving to TO in September, which I am very much looking forward too. Guelph has treated me very well for the past 6 years, but I feel it is time to move on.

IT'S TIME TO BUCKLE DOWN AND GET THIS THESIS FINISHED!!!
I have found it a bit difficult to focus on my thesis. However, now that I have a plan for the fall, it has given me considerable motivation to move forward. My goal is to have a full draft done by the end of July. To get started, here are a few things that I need to do in the short term (1-2weeks)...

• Fix my lit review so that it is decent enough to show to Ian for feedback (I'm not looking for perfection at this point... I just need to know I'm on the right track)

• Complete my methods section. I'm pretty happy with the way it has progressed... it just needs to be filled in.

• Put my interviews into logical summary tables.

• Organize my weather-adjusted data into a usable format.

I will make better effort to post here and keep in touch. I really really miss you girls!!!! Keep up the great work!!!

and now 31...

Yay!!...Someone besides me is using the blog! Good to hear how you're doing Marianne, and I second that Sarah needs to update ASAP. I hear ya about the daily steeling of nerves, and I too CANNOT WAIT until we are forced to talk about things that have nothing to do with school. Only a few more months to go...

Anyways, today has been a bit of a slower day. I got here around 12:30, and I can't believe it is almost 2:30...because I really haven't done anything yet. I was at school until 10pm last night, so I feel like I can take a bit of time to get going. I find that I get a lot more work done at night, so I've just been staying as long as I'm still productive. Since today is Friday though, I'll probably be outta here by 6pm or so.

Anyways, yesterday I finished chapter 4 (somewhat). I'm spending the rest of the day today editing, and Monday I'll move on the the results chapter. That's pretty intimidating because I haven't really looked at the data in depth, but hopefully it will all make sense soon. I think I'm up to 58 pages now, so I'm happy about that....although it's not really the length that matters anyways.

Have an awesome weekend everyone!

Bust a move!

Man, this place is turning into a personal blog for Claire!

I'm here to do my part.

Well, as my nth strategy to do a prescribed amount of thesis per day has gone, once again, tits up (or pear shaped, if you prefer), I am set to try yet another. I have his vague memory of being engaged in activities where it doesn't take a daily steeling of nerves to make progress. It'll be interesting to have that again! Someday maybe.

Anyway, things are going fairly well all things considered, though I consider that mainly a report on my mental heath and less on actual physical thesis progress, since that's all spotty. I'm desperately trying not to wonder where we'll go next, or who will get a job first, or what kind of adventure I want to have. It's so distracting and fulfilling, so I know it's not good for what needs to be done now. How much can you all NOT WAIT to never have to freaking talk about progress on our papers again? Holy god, what will we say to one another! hah, I kid. We'll think of something.

My current goals are to send ML chapter one and chapter 2 tomorrow maybe and then by wednesday to have chapter three hashed out in terms of structural planning and some writing done for sure. Maybe even lots of writing done, since chapter three seems like it should be so much easier than chapter 2. Though I suppose that remains to be seen!

Sarah, if you're reading this, drop a quick line...where/how are you? It's been radio silence for a while now!

So: left tonight I have 1h 45m of work to accumulate, then I get to reward myself with a ride home and taking off my infernal bra, which for some reasons feels so annoying. Maybe I'll do that before I go home. We'll see and I'll leave that little TMI there. Awesome.

More when I hit "send" with my big fat attachments on it!
xoxoxoxoxoxo

...32 days

I felt like I had a pretty productive day yesterday. I went through the first three chapters, and did some editing based on Ian's comments. I feel like the methodology chapter is good to go, but I'm somehow not 100% happy with the intro and the lit review. It's getting there though, so I guess that's all I can ask for.

I'm pulling the late shift with Marianne tonight, so hopefully today will be another productive day. I made a list of small task that need to be completed for my thesis (thanks for the suggestions Lynz!), and it's nice to cross them off one by one. Today, I'm working on the discussion for chapter 4. Hopefully I'll be able to finish that today, meaning that tomorrow I can move on to the results chapter. I'm up to 55 pages...which means I've only managed 2 pages since the last time I wrote, but I feel like some good editing happened as well.

I'll check in tomorrow to see how things panned out...good luck everyone!

Starting the countdown...34 days to go

Looking at my last post, I realize that I did have a lot going on, and I am happy to report that I have been able to cross a few things off the list. The OCE conference was a good experience. I got to meet many people that I think will be useful in the coming months, and the oral competition was actually pretty fun. I didn't win (dang!), but I got a lot of good comments, and it was a good experience in public speaking. I've also sent off a couple applications for the interesting jobs I mentioned in my last post, so at least that's off my plate for a bit.

I also finished my paper for the World Wind Energy Conference for next month. It's my first published, thesis-related thing, so that's pretty cool. I'll have to prep a 15 minute presentation, but that is definitely going to get thrown together a few days before the conference.

Random wedding-related excitement is that we sent out the invites on monday (yay!), my dress has arrived (yay! yay!), AND we received our first wedding gift! Wow...I guess I'm actually going to get married this summer! Exciting stuff!

So, now the major thing on the agenda is getting a completed first draft to Ian before I go to the WWEC conference in 34 days. June 23rd is d-day I'm going to be hardcore about this, because there is no more time for fucking around. SO, you can expect me to update this blog with progress hopefully daily with an account of what I've managed to finish. So, today, I'm starting with 53 pages of written material, and almost 4 completed chapters. What I need to do is:
1. Finish the discussion for chapter 4
2. Write up the results (SPSS and interview stuff)
3. Write up the discussions

I figure if I write about another 40-50 pages I'll be happy. So....here goes!!! Hope every one is doing well!

I'm an expert juggler...

So, I've been feeling a lot like a juggler these days...I feel like I have a lot of different things on the go, and finding the time/energy to do everything has been a challenge. Also, simply REMEMBERING what the heck need to get done has forced me into making lists and keeping a calendar. Anyways, here are a select few of the things I have going on
1. Preping for the OCE Discovery Conference. I'm setting up the booth, and preping for an oral presentation.
2. Planning for the World Wind Energy Conference - I finally heard back, and now I'm slated for an ORAL presentation. Scary! I also have to write a paper to be published in the conference proceedings...by May 20. Yikes.
3. Figuring out how to analyze my stats
4. Listening and taking notes on my interviews, and documenting some of those results.
5. Wedding planning (not too stressful, but it is on my mind)
6. Applying for a couple cool jobs that have come across my desk.
7. oh yeah....and freaking writing my thesis.

There seems to be about a million more nit picky tasks that I've been taking care of, and so far, I haven't dropped any balls. This is just a taste of what's to come this summer, I think...but I'm happy to be crossing things off my list, one by one.

In other news, Karen's back! Exciting stuff...and...where the hell did 10 months go?!?

Keep on truckin!

Yeah!

I'm back on mornings! I'm genuinely excited to be back at school bright and early, every day. The routine of it is soothing and helpful for me. I find my afternoon schedule to be mixed up and harder to get a handle on. I was at school by 7 as usual in these circumstances and I could not be happier. It was a lovely ride in, and I'm expecting a lovely ride home. So yay to that.

I'm still trying not to think about end dates and when to finish by etc, since that seems to do nothing for motivation and everything for anxiety, so my latest strategy is to just keep plugging away and it'll end when it ends. I want to enjoy my summer and not feel pressure, just like when I chose to come back in the first place.

So that's it, mostly I'm focussing on feeling healthy and happy and allowing myself as much time as it takes to do this thesis, which I think will help me just do it. Plus, who wants to spend the summer feeling assy? Not me!

And it's time to get ready to plant seeds and seedlings! IN a few more weeks I'll get stuff into Claire's back yard and we'll start the hovering and loving care of quite a few different veggies and melons. Ah, food, the best part of summer. That, and slushy drinks.

Remember, the WWII sign with the best message: Keep calm, and carry on.

It's a mantra. My mantra.
xo!