the things I do for research
Apr. 5th, 2008 08:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
No thanks to the moron(s) who pulled the fire alarms in my apartment building at 2:17 this morning, I've stayed up for more than 24 hours. Scarily enough, this is the first time my brain was still just functional enough to be aware of this fact.
Lessons learned:
1. Taking an extension can end up causing a lot more pain than it's worth.
2. Procrastinating by actually writing papers due this coming week is still procrastination.
3. The most surprising things will keep you going, push comes to shove.
4. Psych textbooks don't come close to describing the reality of actually doing research - you don't realize how deadly dull it is to recruit participants for long surveys. Sirens in the background and planes flying overhead on the therapy tapes are just as likely to elicit *headdesk* behavior as are interrater reliability tests.
I think I'm going to crash on the couch now before my brain becomes too scrambled. It's going to be a long two weeks before finals come around...
Lessons learned:
1. Taking an extension can end up causing a lot more pain than it's worth.
2. Procrastinating by actually writing papers due this coming week is still procrastination.
3. The most surprising things will keep you going, push comes to shove.
4. Psych textbooks don't come close to describing the reality of actually doing research - you don't realize how deadly dull it is to recruit participants for long surveys. Sirens in the background and planes flying overhead on the therapy tapes are just as likely to elicit *headdesk* behavior as are interrater reliability tests.
I think I'm going to crash on the couch now before my brain becomes too scrambled. It's going to be a long two weeks before finals come around...
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-05 05:19 pm (UTC)and wheeeere did you find that track?
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-05 10:21 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-05 10:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-06 08:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-05 08:26 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-06 08:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-05 08:26 pm (UTC)Yes! I'm the president of that club!
Oh dear. You're bringing back some nightmarish memories of my college days. Hang in there. It will be over (for this year) in a few weeks.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-06 08:17 pm (UTC)It's reassuring to know that someone else who's gone through the same thing has done just fine :) Thank you!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-07 07:44 pm (UTC)I hope things have gotten a bit better for you by now, and that you were able to get caught up on a lot of things over the weekend.
I swear, I would love to go back to college for creative writing classes, but the mere thought of assignments and deadlines stops me dead in my track.
Will you be taking a break from academics after finals? Sounds like you could use it. Or are you taking summer classes also?
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-12 01:08 pm (UTC)Things are better now that the academic conference I was helping out with is over and half of my big deadlines have passed. Hopefully now that I've rearranged my research schedule I'll be better able to balance things out :)
Are you interested in going back to college to further develop your writing skills, have an impetus/"excuse" to write more or perhaps some combination of both? I find that sometimes it helps to have an extra push to finish what would otherwise be a perpetual work-in-progress; I know I need it for various fic challenges or else I'd never get anything done!
I'm studying abroad in Italy this summer for two months a week after classes are done, so I count that as a break :) I'll be taking Italian language immersion and art history.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-12 10:20 pm (UTC)I think of taking a class to learn about writing, and to write more, so yes, it's a combination of things. But I don't want the pressure of deadlines and grades.
Italy sounds wonderful! It will be work, but gosh - it's Italy!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-12 02:57 am (UTC)halfimagined AT gmail.com
I have something that you probably want.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-12 01:09 pm (UTC)