Monday, June 29, 2009

Claustrophobia

Back up to the surface....for some air.......

I would like to write about a topic that's been on my mind quite a lot: why geese honk while they fly. This seems like a logical question, for after all, it's hard to run and scream at the same time. The only time I've seen that happen consistently is in an action scene in the movies. From this I must conclude that geese having been watching too many movies, and have grown a bit too melodramatic for their own good, or that they feel themselves always threatened.

Yes, I would like to write about that, but I can't, seeing the paralysis that is this dissertation, the fact that i think about it all the time (when I'm not thinking about the geese). I would be lying if I said that the last few weeks have been lovely. They have actually been horrific. I have spent many, many, many hours locked in a freezing cubicle at the public library attempting to have scholarly thoughts -- and more important -- scholarly organizational skills. And while I am meeting with some success with both, I feel like this experience is forcing every hardship, insecurity, inconvenience, and negative feeling onto my last nerve, which is. on. fire. all. the. time.

I am lovely to be around right now.

I actually cried today over it. I sat in my office while a babysitter corralled my screaming, happy children downstairs, and cried over the fact that I seem not to have the mental faculties to get this done as quickly as I'd hoped. How quickly is that, you say? I dunno. Like yesterday.

So bear with me. I'd ask you to bear for me, but that's called plagiarism, and it's not so cool. And besides, the silver lining is that I see the purpose in this dastardly exercise called "dissertating." It sucks, but I'm learning something.

Sigh. Back to the grind.

2 comments:

SleepyMom said...

So when I firt me you and found out that you were still writing your dissertation with child # 3 on the way, I was stunned. I bailed out of grad school just thinking about wanting to have kids and I have no idea how Glen finished his last 6 months of writing, defending, etc while taking care of a screaming infant that never slept. Kudos to you for being brave enough to even try. Be patient with yourself because being a Mommy tends to mush your brain slightly. I think you have to factor in extra time each time you go off to write for you brain to expand back to adult/scholarly level before you can really get those ideas flowing. You will get it done and you will move on with life! I'll be praying for you in the meantime.

Jovi said...

lady, i am in awe of you. after all, i haven't dissertated in years! if at all. and i am THINKING about it. but i suspect i'd find myself in your exact situation and i'm not sure i have the will for that. so mostly i just wish my diss would magically write itself. so far that hasn't worked out for me, but i'm still hoping :P miss you tons, call when you come up for air.