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So, I’ve finished the first draft of my second exam question.  That’s twenty pages in two days and I’m feeling mentally drained.  I know that seems quick.  I really kicked my but to get something down today, but it needs MAJOR revisions and I need to go back and reread some literature.  Sigh.  But, a complete draft always makes me feel better than a half-complete final version, so there it is.

I decided to run before my exam work today because the high today is 92 and it’s also pretty steamy.  At 6:45am it was already 72 and not so pleasant, but I figured it was better than trying to run at 5pm.  I’m at a coffee shop right now (6pm) and I just saw a guy run by.  I’m worried about his well being.  In fact, I’m putting off walking home because I got so sweaty on the way here.  Ah ha, they sell soft serve!  That should do the trick!  Back home to do some work for my professor… a busy day.

So begins the second week of the exam process.  I’m still ahead (fingers crossed).  I was able to write 7 pages today, which was really great and then I dropped Dan off at the airport, did some grocery shopping and vegged with the Bachelorette the rest of the night (don’t judge me).  I’m hoping tomorrow will be just as productive.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I’ve been wishing that I was on a beach lately.  The weather has been so sunny and hot and we weren’t able to go to the Outer Banks this summer.  I miss the beach, so I’ve sort of been pretending that I’m taking my exams while on vacation.  Stay with me.  In the morning, I read and eat breakfast on the porch for at least 45 minutes before I get started with my work.  The sun comes up on that side of the house, so the light is usually filtered by the tree out front and feels lovely.  I work all morning.  Then, at lunch, I put on my bathing suit, make lunch, and lay in our courtyard in the sun, eating and reading a magazine or a non-school book (right now, Loving Frank, which is so great!).  I figure, if I can’t be on vacation, I can at least enjoy the weather and end up with some sort of tan (as tan as us translucent fair-skinned folk can manage).  I just hope that no one on my committee sees me after this and says, “Where have you been?”  Just vacationing in Columbus.

Today was a particularly nice day for laying out because it was nice and hot and a little cloudy, so there were some cool breaks in the hot sun when a cloud would float slowly by.  I finished a chapter in my non-school book and didn’t quite want to go in yet.  It was cloudy at that moment, so I laid there looking up at the sky.  It’s been a long time since I’ve really looked at clouds.  The clouds were big and fluffy, but the edges were wispy shape-shifters.  I spied three mice-shaped pieces come together in an embrace, smoke rising from a chimney, and I thought how the cloud would change every so slightly all day long, being pushed by the wind, the edges transforming, until the whole cloud was gone, or separated into smaller puffs, or fell as rain.  Eventually, it would return to the rivers, only to rise again to take on a new form, beautiful and brief.  A noisy plane from the east wakes me from my daydream.  Time to get back to work.

Yesterday was a good work day.  In the morning I reread an important article, very slowly and carefully, then I went through all of the references I needed so I could look them up later.  Then, I worked on my outline (this is all for question 2).  During lunch I laid in the sun and read a magazine for a break (Dan thinks it’s weird to eat lunch in my bathing suit, but I don’t).  In the afternoon, I reread the first half of a very important book that I will be using in question 2.  I’ll spend the weekend finishing that off for good measure (I read another chapter this morning already).

To celebrate the end of my first week and the completion of my first question, Dan and I went out to eat at an all vegetarian south Indian restaurant called Banana Leaf.  This was a completely different type of Indian.  I had only ever heard of three dishes on the menu.  They had a neat buffet where they served you a series of chaats (street food) made fresh as appetizers, along with mango lassi, and then you ate from the actual buffet for dinner.  They also served hot fluffy fried bread with that.  But, Dan and I weren’t sure we wanted to pig out, buffet-style, so we tried to order two separate meals with samosas as appetizers and the man said that what we ordered cost more than the buffet and he didn’t feel right not allowing us to have the buffet, “So, please, take some mango lassi and dessert and I will bring you bread.”  Well, so much for not pigging out!  It was really fun to try the new foods and it was all delicious!  I couldn’t even make room for ice cream after that I was so full.  We had gone to dinner kind of late and by the time we got home, the streets were packed with people coming downtown for the fireworks (aka Red, White and Boom! (emphasis on the Boom!)).  Luckily, we found a spot in our own complex and then we decided to walk down and watch the fireworks.  We walked to the Arena District where they had a sort of festival set up, found a patch of grass near the Nationwide complex and watched the show.  Someone near us brought their radio and a local station was playing music that went with the fireworks (I think Dan took a few good pictures that might be under the piictures tab now).  It was a nice way to end a long week of work.  And it was also nice not to get stuck in the traffic jam on our way home.  It’s good to live in walking distance to downtown… most of the time.

Well, I revised all morning and I feel pretty good about question 1.  So, I spent the afternoon preparing my proposal for AERA, which I really needed to do.  I think my proposal stinks, but I’m not sure what else to do.  Oh, well… going to start on question 2 tomorrow ahead of schedule!

Crap, June’s over.  A sad day.

Today was very productive!  I even let myself out of my room to work at a coffee shop for the afternoon (I got decaf).  And guess what?  I am now on page 20.5 of my 20 page paper!  That’s exciting and I am definitely ahead of schedule, but I still have major editing to do.  Two more days for this first question and I’m feeling kinda good about it.  I hope it lasts. 

Quick update, in a non-stream-of-conscious format:  Today was really great.  Yesterday I didn’t finish my whole to do list, but today I caught up and got ahead!  9.5 pages down, 10.5 (plus editing) to go! 

Get up this morning, dress in comfortable clothes, ring and earrings are diamonds, make decaf tea, my challenge, meditate, wisdom, love, his eye is on the sparrow and he watches over me, use me, love in research, husband presets coffee, smile, but no coffee this week, eat breakfast outside, it rained, steel cut oats, coconut yogurt and blueberries, wannabe vegan, boy kicking chestnut shell, homeless man waiting for the bus, the 12 passes, two 4s pass, still waiting and staring at traffic, the man with the shih tzu smokes briefly, school’s out, read for pleasure, it’s all wrong, mom calls, free, go in, hug husband, bed is made, get started, feet are cold, examines belly, gather all books, takes a picture for blog, gathers more, new picture, reads intro to important book, how could you not have read this? moron. reads advisor’s book, this will help, still cold. hate that my days are all different, craving the same, but not in my work?

for just one question

Today was my last day of freedom for four weeks and Dan and I had a busy day.  We started by going to church, then visited the Columbus Museum of Art (which is free on Sunday!).  We saw some really neat glass art and a cool Alice in Wonderland chess sculpture.  Then, we went out for some Italian and then Dan needed to shop for some short-sleeved work shirts for Arizona.  Then, we cheated on Jeni’s and tried a new ice cream place called Denise’s.  They are kind of a Jeni’s rip-off (They even have a salty caramel flavor! Copy cats!), but they had a few extra flavors and they were good, so I won’t complain.  Then, we came home and Dan caught up on soccer, while I did some work for my professor, paid bills, started laundry, etc.  Then, we went to get groceries, picked up Chinese food and watched some more Lost.  Now, I’m starting to freak out a little about starting my exam work in the morning.  Can I do it?  I don’t know.  Pray for me, Forrest.

1) Ran 7 miles

2) Ate cereal

3) Read on the porch for a few hours

4) Ate lunch (leftovers)

5) Did work for my professor

6) Watched team USA lose

7) Picked up carryout from the Happy Greek, while dodging hundreds of happy Comfest goers

8 ) Watched Lost

9) More Lost

10) Bed

Starting Monday, for the next four weeks, I will be hunkered down working on my candidacy exams.  Candidacy exams are basically the culmination of my coursework as a doctoral student.  Once I finish these exams, which includes an oral defense, I will become a PhD candidate, which means that my committee feels that I am prepared to work on my own research in the form of a dissertation.  If I pass these exams, “all” that stands between me and the PhD is the dissertation.  So, what I’m trying to say is that they are very important.  I’m going to be on lock down for the next four weeks, and am apologizing in advance if I don’t answer the phone, respond to email or if I decline invitations to do fun summer activities like a rent a boat for the 4th of July (Sorry, Julie!  It sounds like a ton of fun!).  My exam schedule is Monday-Friday from 8-5 from June 28-July 23.  On the evenings and weekends, I will likely be doing extra reading and working on a research project with a professor of mine that contracted me to do some work over the summer.  It’s going to be a very busy and stressful time, so please forgive me as I disappear.  I promise to reappear with gusto, bathing suit and grilling tongs in hand on July 23rd at 5pm, hopefully still smiling.

I decided to structure each week so that I wouldn’t drive myself nuts digging around in my mountains of books, articles and notes.  I’m sharing my structure really for my own benefit, but I’m sure you’re interested too. 

Monday- Sort and organize pertinent readings; select and gather pertinent quotations from those readings; create a thorough outline for the paper

Tuesday- Write 7 pages according to outline; reread as necessary

Wednesday- Write 7 pages according to outline; reread as necessary

Thursday- Write 7 pages according to outline; reread as necessary

Friday- Revise paper; revisit readings as necessary; revisit outline to make sure I addressed what I intended to; cry (just kidding… sort of)

Repeat three times!  Here we go.