The Happiness Thread [R]

[Sapphire]

I just finished the first chapter of my dissertation. :)

Excuse me, um, I just FINISHED the first chapter of my dissertation!!!! Proofread, spell-checked, and emailed away. :D :p

Wooooohooooo!! Yaya!!! If I still drank, it'd be a bottle of Patron and a sack of limes for me tonight. I think I'll settle for relaxing, baking something with thousands of unnecessary calories in it, a bubble bath, and reading a book I actually want to read. Ahhhhh...finishedddddddddddd. *takes first deep breath in 6 weeks*

[Howard Zinn]

I just finished the first chapter of my dissertation. :)

Excuse me, um, I just FINISHED the first chapter of my dissertation!!!! Proofread, spell-checked, and emailed away. :D :p

Wooooohooooo!! Yaya!!! If I still drank, it'd be a bottle of Patron and a sack of limes for me tonight. I think I'll settle for relaxing, baking something with thousands of unnecessary calories in it, a bubble bath, and reading a book I actually want to read. Ahhhhh...finishedddddddddddd. *takes first deep breath in 6 weeks*


Congratulations. How many pages?

[Sapphire]

Congratulations. How many pages?Thanks. It's 42 pages. Plus 4 pages of bibliography. That will change though. I have to get feedback from my professors and my writing group in the coming weeks, and they'll want me to change some things, I'm sure.

[Howard Zinn]

Thanks. It's 42 pages. Plus 4 pages of bibliography. That will change though. I have to get feedback from my professors and my writing group in the coming weeks, and they'll want me to change some things, I'm sure.


*head explodes* :eek: :eek:

[Sapphire]

*head explodes* :eek:You asked. And it's super-boring too. :D In fairness though, researching and writing it is pretty much my full time job, so if you write a few pages every day and learn how to guerilla-read secondary sources (scan and read for the info you need, then get the hell out!), it's not so bad.

What's truly difficult about it, is the things I write seem so obvious to me after obsessing on the ideas for so long, so I feel like my writing is stupid. But I don't think it is, but it could be :( It's hard to get perspective on your own work.

Oh well, finished! tra la la.

[Howard Zinn]

You asked. And it's super-boring too. :D In fairness though, researching and writing it is pretty much my full time job, so if you write a few pages every day and learn how to guerilla-read secondary sources (scan and read for the info you need, then get the hell out!), it's not so bad.

What's truly difficult about it, is the things I write seem so obvious to me after obsessing on the ideas for so long, so I feel like my writing is stupid. But I don't think it is, but it could be :( It's hard to get perspective on your own work.

Oh well, finished! tra la la.


I'm sure it's brilliant. What's your basic argument?

[Sapphire]

I'm sure it's brilliant. What's your basic argument?The dissertation focuses on locally produced and consumed Caribbean literature (both regional and national publications in Jamaica) in the 1970s. Jamaica became independent from UK in 1962, so I'm looking at how the local authors are talking about nationalism. I'm also focusing on female authors (basically because I had to narrow it down somehow), so I am finding some interesting intersections between nationalism and feminism and womanism and other local ideologies about gender.

The chapter I just finished dealt with a couple of novels produced abroad. Almost all Caribbean literature in the literary canon is produced abroad in the UK, the US, and increasingly Canada. One of the cool things about my dissertation is that, unlike most scholarship on Jamaican literature, it's talking about local newsletters, journals, contests and performances. This current chapter however is trying to tie in my localized arguments with the exilic literature that everyone else reads and talks about (It will also help me get an academic job if I'm an expert in something that a student might actually read in a class :) )

In the chapter, I wrote alot about individual/sovereign versions of nation versus collective/multiplicitous versions of the nation. Hopefully (I really hope) some of those same issues come up in the local literature, or tie in neatly with whatever I have to say about it when I'm writing those chapters. If not, I'll cry :o and then I'll make it work.

There's a part of me that loves my idea, but I'm pretty tired of it too. I hope I can finish on time next summer.

[Sapphire]

And now that I've put you to sleep, I'm off to celebrate.

Have good night, guys!

[Howard Zinn]

The dissertation focuses on locally produced and consumed Caribbean literature (both regional and national publications in Jamaica) in the 1970s. Jamaica became independent from UK in 1962, so I'm looking at how the local authors are talking about nationalism. I'm also focusing on female authors (basically because I had to narrow it down somehow), so I am finding some interesting intersections between nationalism and feminism and womanism and other local ideologies about gender.

The chapter I just finished dealt with a couple of novels produced abroad. Almost all Caribbean literature in the literary canon is produced abroad in the UK, the US, and increasingly Canada. One of the cool things about my dissertation is that, unlike most scholarship on Jamaican literature, it's talking about local newsletters, journals, contests and performances. This current chapter however is trying to tie in my localized arguments with the exilic literature that everyone else reads and talks about (It will also help me get an academic job if I'm an expert in something that a student might actually read in a class :) )

In the chapter, I wrote alot about individual/sovereign versions of nation versus collective/multiplicitous versions of the nation. Hopefully (I really hope) some of those same issues come up in the local literature, or tie in neatly with whatever I have to say about it when I'm writing those chapters. If not, I'll cry :o and then I'll make it work.

There's a part of me that loves my idea, but I'm pretty tired of it too. I hope I can finish on time next summer.


That sounds really interesting sapph. How long do you plan on the whole thing being?

[Sapphire]

That sounds really interesting sapph. How long do you plan on the whole thing being?The typical dissertation is around 200 pages. It should be book-length, but people vary it. 4-5 chapters with around 30-50 pages each is normal for an english dissertation, and mine should be normal to long (longer if I find alot of cool local stuff to talk about).

[MtP07]

I'm sure it's brilliant. What's your basic argument?

Ruud is dreamier than Ronaldo. ;) :p

[Howard Zinn]

Ruud is dreamier than Ronaldo. ;) :p


You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to MtP07 again.


Damn, I'm out of the green stuff. :D

[mhtwins113]

The dissertation focuses on locally produced and consumed Caribbean literature (both regional and national publications in Jamaica) in the 1970s. Jamaica became independent from UK in 1962, so I'm looking at how the local authors are talking about nationalism. I'm also focusing on female authors (basically because I had to narrow it down somehow), so I am finding some interesting intersections between nationalism and feminism and womanism and other local ideologies about gender.

The chapter I just finished dealt with a couple of novels produced abroad. Almost all Caribbean literature in the literary canon is produced abroad in the UK, the US, and increasingly Canada. One of the cool things about my dissertation is that, unlike most scholarship on Jamaican literature, it's talking about local newsletters, journals, contests and performances. This current chapter however is trying to tie in my localized arguments with the exilic literature that everyone else reads and talks about (It will also help me get an academic job if I'm an expert in something that a student might actually read in a class :) )

In the chapter, I wrote alot about individual/sovereign versions of nation versus collective/multiplicitous versions of the nation. Hopefully (I really hope) some of those same issues come up in the local literature, or tie in neatly with whatever I have to say about it when I'm writing those chapters. If not, I'll cry :o and then I'll make it work.

There's a part of me that loves my idea, but I'm pretty tired of it too. I hope I can finish on time next summer.
I'm assuming you take quite a bit from Wide Sargasso Sea for the historical context.

[Sapphire]

Ruud is dreamier than Ronaldo. ;) :pIf I only could think about such things all day . . . :D Good idea for my first book, though.

[Sapphire]

I'm assuming you take quite a bit from Wide Sargasso Sea for the historical context.I'm not using Jean Rhys, but I love that novel.

I had another good day today. Things are good these days. :)

[MtP07]

If I only could think about such things all day . . . :D Good idea for my first book, though.

You've just got to get your priorities straight. ;) :D

[mhtwins113]

Ruud is dreamier than Ronaldo. ;) :p
I don't see how any functional human being isn't better looking than a fat, out-of-shape, bucktoothed Brazilian. ;)

[johno]

Well here goes.

Yesterday, for the first time in just about 2 years I produced a sportscast. I wasn't expecting to. I thought my boss and the head of sports at the station was going to be in, because he was off and his deputy worked on saturday, and technically their both required to work 6days a week.

However, I had the show to myself and I've got to say there is very little like the fear and anticipation one gets before going live knowing that if anything is screwed up that its COMPLETELY your fault as producer is out of this world.

I nearly screwed it up too. I forgot a somewhat major story and had to rush it in as a copy, but there was no footage of it anyway so nothing was lost, but the producer of the newscast was pissy about it.

I've completed 5 days at the new job and I've got to say its alot better now than it was when it started, I was worried there for awhile. My biggest problem now is trying to gently send the message that I'm not interested in someone who works alongside me. She's quite keen and pretty, but 1. not really my type and 2. my future wife also works there, and no, my future wife doesn't know she's my future wife yet, but I can't very well work on that while I've got someone fawning over me (I use the term incorrectly I suppose, she's not fawning over me, but she's asked me to the movies twice and out for drinks once).

All in all, things are good. :)

[prymetyme]

lol i would have dazzled her with my footballing knowledge, but i was to busy with that other girl but i guess thats for a different thread.

[MtP07]

Well here goes.

Yesterday, for the first time in just about 2 years I produced a sportscast. I wasn't expecting to. I thought my boss and the head of sports at the station was going to be in, because he was off and his deputy worked on saturday, and technically their both required to work 6days a week.

However, I had the show to myself and I've got to say there is very little like the fear and anticipation one gets before going live knowing that if anything is screwed up that its COMPLETELY your fault as producer is out of this world.

I nearly screwed it up too. I forgot a somewhat major story and had to rush it in as a copy, but there was no footage of it anyway so nothing was lost, but the producer of the newscast was pissy about it.

I've completed 5 days at the new job and I've got to say its alot better now than it was when it started, I was worried there for awhile. My biggest problem now is trying to gently send the message that I'm not interested in someone who works alongside me. She's quite keen and pretty, but 1. not really my type and 2. my future wife also works there, and no, my future wife doesn't know she's my future wife yet, but I can't very well work on that while I've got someone fawning over me (I use the term incorrectly I suppose, she's not fawning over me, but she's asked me to the movies twice and out for drinks once).

All in all, things are good. :)

Sounds like fun. How many viewers do you have?