Thanksgiving... and the Thesis (with a capital "T")

Thesis work is trudging along. I've done some more note-taking, done some more reading. I really need to find the 1624 Parliamentary proceedings, and 1621's proceedings would be nice to see as well. That means I'm off to Rice University soon because my school library doesn't have the required database.

Today's work will be limited. I haven't started writing yet, and it might take a few more days of note-organizing, but that's ok. Thanksgiving plans, however, are another reason for extension. Luckily I'm not making the turkey or the dressing, so that time's not used. I am only making the cranberry relish (my specialty) - and I've just finished it. My house smells so yummy - cranberry and orange goodness. I zested three oranges first, and combine the citrus with the popping cranberries... YUM!

I've noticed that many people on facebook are listing what they're thankful for, so in the spirit of Thanksgiving, here's what I'm thankful for (in no particular order... except the first couple).

1) I'm thankful for my boyfriend. I cannot say enough good things about him. He is a wonderful man and we work very well together. He truly is my partner, my match.

2) I'm thankful for my family - my new baby nephew, my sister, her husband, and my mother.

3) I'm thankful for my job. Not only am I thankful that I HAVE a job, but I truly like where I work. Yes, things are crazy with a new principal and a new state test, but we're working through the kinks of newness.

4) I'm thankful for my dog. Seriously, she is the best. She's not always the best-behaved, but she's loyal and is very attached to me. Sometimes to Billy's chagrin. :-)

5) I'm thankful for my friends. I'm very much an introvert and I'm not the most social person, but my friends are truly great. I've spent the past few years weeding out toxic people, so those who remain are ones I can depend on. I love my work family, my theatre family, and the miscellaneous friends.

6) I'm thankful for my health. I'm heavy, but pretty healthy. No broken bones or serious damage this year. The miscarriage sucked, but it was the most common kind of miscarriage, and we'll probably have a healthy pregnancy when we start trying again in the spring.

7) I"m thankful for EF Tours. Seriously - because of them I was able to score two free trips to Europe this past year. I have re-awakened the travel monster that I am and had great experiences to share with my students and my family/friends. Without them, I wouldn't have gone to Paris twice this year, or London for the first time in 15 years, and Rome for the first time ever.

I have more things that I'm thankful for, but I have to get busy on Thesis Day #3.

Ciao bellas!

Thesis Day 1: Coming Clean

For months I've heard the same question over and over: "When are you done with grad school." My normal response has been, "Well, I've already finished my classes and will be graduating with a 4.0 GPA, but I have to finish my thesis. It's due in April." That comment is usually followed by the question: "How far along are you on your thesis." And my reply is, "I've done an outline, but hope to write 30 pages/a chapter during Thanksgiving and 50-60 pages/2 chapters during Christmas."

Notice how above, I said "I have to finish my thesis" not "I have to write a thesis." I should probably say the latter. It's time to come clean.

Here's what I've done: I've written a 4 page prospectus/brief outline and a 15-page paper on the same topic. I wrote the 15-page paper last Spring and I'm planning on expanding it for the thesis. I also have 90% of the research done (using sources from several previous papers about a similar topic). But have I written one word of the actual, 100 page paper/book? No. That's what I'm working on this week.

I'm not a slacker - I've been busy with work and working on my relationship/moving in with Billy. I don't know how I survived the past two years in grad school - how did I have time to do it all??

But Thanksgiving holiday is upon me and I'm ready to be productive. I've brought no grading home with me, Billy is camping with a friend for a few days. I've just done laundry and cleaned the kitchen so all is ready.

So, now begins Thesis Day 1. All of my sources are sitting on my coffee table and I've divided it into chapters. I've found my transcripted notes from a book of letters, and today I'm going to go back over the letters since I haven't read them in months. My thesis takes a slightly different direction from the original paper, so I need to make sure I have everything I need from those letters.

When I need to procrastinate, I'll update the blog. I finally have a new blog focus!

Ciao!