PhD
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I wish I got some more wind to reach my * intermediate* final destination …approaching … approaching …
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa, I miss sailing, badly.
By Nana | August 30, 2006 | Topics: PhD | No Comments »
Back on Track
No, yesterday’s post was not a trick, but I just can’t leave Con Brio alone, especially when I am finishing the day the way that I am today - con brio indeed. The day started with a run and a clear outline of the tasks I needed to perform. I must admit, these few last days (or rather two weeks) were somehow scary as I did not make any move towards *the* goal. Today, however, was a different story. I worked extremely well, finished the Chapter 4 as planed, and sending it to proof-reading.
Many thanks go to David, who is dealing with my these-days-quite-messy thoughts and turning the mess into a constructive output with giving me comments on some crucial points. Merci beaucoup! When I decide to do a PhD in anthropology, I will be certainly queuing for his supervision;) .
.
;))
By Nana | August 23, 2006 | Topics: PhD | 2 Comments »
Those Were the Days
When I wrote 1000 words a day. Not so long ago. I know I am getting awfully boring and incredible annoying with my whining but what the heck, it is my blog and I can write what I want;) Not that I want to be ignorant of the readers, but I am sure people understand. And now, I *NEED* to whine;).
I am still in a very odd mood. I want to work, I can’t concentrate. Too much going on around me, which makes me being on high alert all the time. I am crossing my own nerves already. Thanks, Sabina, to listening to me, not an easy job I must admit;).
Yesterday, one of my colleague from uni read Chapter 4 (cos it’s related to her topic of expertise) and she gave me some great feedback. She said it is very well written and she only had some minor comments. Oh, this was nice to hear!
During the writing up, I kept some sort of stat diary, with number of words written and the timeline of when they were written. I am afraid to open that file and to realise that I did not make an entry already since Saturday the 5th. That’s exactly 10 days ago. 10000 words went down the drain. It gives me shiver only to think of it.
But today, well today … or better tomorrow, I will go back to my … hm, there are plenty of names I could call it: my baby (as there indeed a metaphor of giving birth could apply), mon cherie (as it makes me being passionate about it, feeling happy and satisfied, gives me edge, and I am loving it … well, most of the time), my opponent (cos I would like to throw it all away, get rid of it, never come closer again), my protector (as I can always hide behind it, always keep it close to me), my companion (as it travels with me and gives me reasons to travel).
Time to go to bed.I am way over my bed time!
By Nana | August 15, 2006 | Topics: Personal, PhD | 3 Comments »
Protected: CORSDUUIEMRRGCELTHOEFHTNT
By Nana | August 14, 2006 | Topics: Personal, PhD | Enter your password to view comments
20 pages
away from handing in but I can’t find the time to finish off. Summer school is great, I love to see how all the work we have done in the last year and a half got real content and faces. I am highly excited and happy, although a bit stressed (I am against using this word too often, but now I can’t avoid) as I am so close to finishing and can’t get hold of it. I was kind of hoping I would be able to devote 4 or 5 hours to PhD also for the duration of the summer school, but it transpires now that I did some miscalculations;)) Oh well, maybe from tomorrow on when things really fall into a routine.
I need to finish, I need to work on it, cos when I don’t, the boiling water is back. Perhaps I am too tough with myself, maybe I don’t find the right balance. Can’t really say, I just feel these days, despite a great happiness about what’s happening around, that I am torn apart between some kind of melancholic and euphoric state. Maybe is it cos finishing PhD also has some symbolic implications in one’s life … you know .. no more hiding behind “Sorry, I can’t .. have to work on my PhD” excuse;))
Better to start typing in that other file ….
By Nana | August 8, 2006 | Topics: Ljubljana Summer School, PhD | No Comments »
What else happened?
I met an incredible person Marie-Helene, I had a great post-conference time in London but this I will write when I write my 1000 for today … being a bit behind;)
By Nana | July 30, 2006 | Topics: Les Voyages, PhD | No Comments »
Oxford Research Methods Festival
After the Cambridge conference, I spent some days in London, working at LSE library. I managed to write my 1000 words a day and was getting more and more excited about upcoming Research Methods Festival, held at St. Catherine College in Oxford. Research methods festival … not a conference or a workshop but a festival. It was in fact more of a conference format but in a very dynamic and relaxed way, holding many concurrent sessions on very exciting topics (actually so many concurrent that I was confused most of the time which to attend as I wanted to hear them all).
In the end, I listened to sessions dealing with challenges in ethnography, innovations in qualitative research, ethical issues in social research, CAQDAS software and quality, anonymity & confidentiality, publishing, mixed methods, and QCA.
Again, some new faces appeared to my citations, such as Julia Brannen, Sara Delamont, Dave Byrne, Paul Atkinson and I also had an opportunity to meet Charles Ragin. Now, scrolling down my PhD has became a much more pleasant business;) Every time I run into Paul Atkinson quote, for instance, I start laughing out loud as I remember how he sketched a young doctor who decided to submit a book proposal to a publisher. Or I hear his scream “nooooooo” when he gave us advices on how to cope with publication rejections. All of them are very nice and approachable persons, indeed.
Well, neither Research Methds Festival 2008 will be left out of my schedule!
And, my Research Methods Library is richer for 23 books and journals. Some of them I bought in a splendid bookshop shown on the pictures below, some on the two conferences, and some in Waterstones in London in the section Second Hand, where I usually get to buy some interesting original works of classics.
I wish I had at least 10% of this at home;)
By Nana | July 30, 2006 | Topics: Conferences, PhD | 1 Comment »
2nd Mixed Methods Conference 2006, Cambridge, UK
was a real stunner. The sessions covered a great variety of topics, from most heated philosophical and methodological issues and new tools & methods in mixed methods research to more applied, policy and action oriented topics, such as using mixed methods approach in health, nursing, education and evaluation research. There were sessions also on gender issues, researching young people, language & culture, decision making etcetera. Indeed many interesting issues were debated and presented by a core group of scholars, practitioners and researchers dealing with mixed methods.
At the last year conference, the presenters were mainly from health and nursing disciplines whilst this year this was more balanced as people from variety of other disciplines presented their works.
What I liked, amongst all the new knowledge I accumulated there, is that I was able to put faces to names I am citing all over the PhD, such as Abas Tashakkori, Jane & Nigel Fielding, Donna Mertens, Niki Plano, Alan Bryman, Martin Bulmer, Anthony Onwuegbuzie, Lynne Giddings, and others. Max Bergman and John Creswell were there already last year, along with my co-supervisor David Morgan.
There was also a very lovely moment, when after the conference dinner some of us went to the auditorium, where professor John Creswell played a piano for us. It put a special touch to the conference. It was really kind of him to share his passion for music with us.
All in all, it was a very enriching experience in academic and sociable terms. I am already looking forward to Mixed Methods Conference 2007!
By Nana | July 30, 2006 | Topics: Conferences, PhD | No Comments »
I would like to find some time
to post about all the interesting stuff that happened in the last two weeks, but currently I am loaded with the final lap of the PhD writing plus preparation for upcoming summer school.
By Nana | July 26, 2006 | Topics: Ljubljana Summer School, PhD | No Comments »
Happy
As simple as that. I am happy. My writing is great in the last month; I have been producing some 1000 words each day apart from the day in Paris and Rotterdam. And there is no boiling water or stress or any other anxieties when I go with this flow of writing. I am reaching the final part of the writing up, I see the end to this. It’s real and it is approaching fast;).
I will have some interruptions in the following weeks, since I am off to London on Thursday, then two conferences in the UK, but in between I hope to spend some time at LSE and British library to put a final touch on some chapters.
Happy.
By Nana | June 26, 2006 | Topics: PhD | 1 Comment »
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