Monday, November 9, 2009
"I can't go on, I'll go on."
-Samuel Beckett, The Unnameable
Although I did manage to get a bit of writing done each day this weekend, I still have another day or so's worth of work left in front of me before I finish the draft of my Afterword. This, in itself, is not an especially big deal, but I have to admit I am somewhat less than satisfied with what I have written thus far, which makes it considerably more difficult for me to soldier on. But I have to. And I will.
For tomorrow: Prep for the final bit of the Afterword.
Labels: Dissertation, fatigue, frustration
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Friday, August 28, 2009
I think writing the last chapter on
Disgrace took more out of me than I had initially assumed. I mean, I knew was more ragged around the edges that I had been in some time, but
wow: the past few days I have been trying to work on an academic side project, as I do from time to time, and I have been positively miserable. Like a petulant child, I feel like stomping my feet and shouting
I doan' wanna! at the top of my lungs every time I look at the screen. I have made some headway with the project, but I wish I had more patience than I do at the moment. Instead of taking my time, calmly working my way through it, I just want to be done with it. Since it took me such a long time to complete the last chapter, I did not really have much of a summer vacation and, with school starting very soon, I suppose part of my difficulty stems from the fact that I want to enjoy a break before resuming my teaching duties. Thus, there's some misplaced resentment aimed at what is, actually, a very nice project to be working on. The timing is just terrible. But that's grad school sometimes. You work until you cannot work any more, then you work some more. Then school starts and you work even more and, somehow, you make progress. That's what I have got to remember: you either do or you do not do and you can only complain if you do do. And, believe me, I intend to enjoy the privilege :)
Now, before I hit the hay, I'm going to do a bit of work and try to read a few pages of Slow Man.
For tomorrow: Read.
Labels: Dissertation, fatigue, frustration
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Friday, August 7, 2009
In the week or so following the completion of my draft of the
Disgrace chapter, I've not done nearly as much work as I would have liked. Although I have, at a minimum, read a few pages each day, I find that my final push to complete the chapter has drained me quite a bit more than I had anticipated. As a result of this realization, I have been a bit less demanding of myself, reasoning that I am at a stage in the dissertation where resting for a spell mightn't be the worst of ideas.
For tomorrow: Read and/or hunt down critical articles.
Labels: Dissertation, fatigue
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Thursday, February 26, 2009
Since I had a bit of difficulty falling asleep (and, once asleep, staying that way) last night, I am quite a bit sleepier than I normally find myself at half past nine in the evening. Fortunately, I did do a little reading tonight, revisiting some passages in
Doubling the Point. I would like to reread some relevant philosophical texts before bed, but I am not so sure about my ability to sustain focus in my yawny, heavy-lidded condition. I'll have to see.
For tomorrow: Continue the rereading of texts and the collection of materials for the next section of the chapter. Writing, though unlikely, would be a swell cap to the day, methinks.
Labels: Dissertation, fatigue
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Monday, November 17, 2008
Although I skipped posting anything last night, I did get some more transcription done, which was nice. I have to admit, I have hit that point in the semester where all the early mornings and late nights have begun taking a considerable toll on my spirits. Coupled with the ever-shortening days, the cumulative effects of long work days, class obligations, and administrative duties make working on the dissertation very, very difficult. Indeed, I am really,
really looking forward to the semester's end. This isn't to say that I cannot wait for my classes to end, of course, because I have been loving this semester. My classes are wonderful, full of bright, eager students . . . it's simply the other stuff that is wiping me out. At any rate, I will try to read a bit of
The Rights of Desire before bed tonight.
For tomorrow: Read or transcribe.
Labels: Dissertation, fatigue
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