Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 May

Introduction and half a chapter of dissertation. Another rearrangement of the thing's structure.

Kind of updating

I'm being less anal about logging my work now i'm at a less frenetic stage. Mostly i've been working on how to structure my dissertation and also looking up a load of statistics on voter turnout. (links to be added to the sidebar here). Also theoretical material on voter turnout and apathy, which is more interesting at least.
I was disappointed that my quant meth project got 58% (a pass) but am hoping it won't screw up my overall mark for the year.

Exam done

Think the exam went ok. The knowledge i had didn't quite match the questions, but i managed to spin it a bit so i don't think i've failed.

This is becoming so much more than a work log...

Yesterday's work: Made regionalism and globalisation summary On schedule: yes, kind of (the schedule is quite minimal, and i wouldn't be keeping up if i'd been more ambitious. i'm being realistic about what i will actually do, rather than about what i should do.) Revision aids used: Yellow highlighter (was told this was the best colour for remembering stuff) Fountain pen, same one i've had all semester Stress symptoms: Headaches (two yesterday) Tired all the effing time - my body's way of goading me into drinking too much coffee and not being able to sleep. Insomnia, see above A really annoying rash Distractions: Cleaning my room. It needs it, but could wait another week if i wasn't so damn determined not to work Worrying about how other people are doing. Planning the weekend - freedom is such a new experience that i need to think about how to use it

Blimey

I'm not really posting at the weird times of morning blogger says i am, in case anyone's wondering. Blogger is stuck on US time, i guess.

In the last week

The conference was on Saturday, so most of last week - once i'd finished the final edits to the quant project - was spend finishing my paper and making slides and stuff. I know it isn't the purpose of this blog to say so, but i think the paper went ok.

Since then: revision all the way. So far i've finished all the exam related-reading (yeah, if i'd left time i could've done more, but there is an optimum amount for everything and i'm not that far from it) and summarised one topic. Now time for all the weird little revision aids and rituals to come into play.


Weird revision aids part 1:

• Using the same (cartridge) pen for the whole semester, in the hope that it will remember something useful. As it were.
• Sucking a boiled sweet while revising, then taking a supply of them into the exam. (may have to be cough sweets, haven't got round to getting anything else)
• Using a scented pen to underline bits of revision notes, then taking that into the exam to write a mindmap.
• Painting my nails before going over the notes for the last time, and wearing the same polish into the exam - the sight of my purple-nailed hands holding the same pen (see above) may jog some memory somewhere.

There may be more, as i get more frenetic and desperate between now and Friday. (my last politics exam EVER!!!!!) You may think these strategies are mad. If i was just doing that, without the work, i'd agree. But face it, i've become slightly less crap about exams since i started being systematic about things like this, so where's the harm?

Tuesday 3 May

Couple hours SPSS-ing, checking direction of values and apparently averting disaster.
Cut and pasted some tables into word, although the bivariate analysis bit would be a dissertation in itself if i let it be, so need some advice on filtering it.
Edited essay, as far as poss
Did a couple of hours reading for conference paper.

I'm not completely stupid!

My Asian Politics essay got 71%, pretty obviously the best mark i'm going to get this semester, but i guess evidence that i can still do well at something. Which is a relief after a term and a half of quant meth near-failure. (hope it stays 'near' rather than 'complete' after the big fucka project gets marked)

x-posted to my normal blog. You know, the one that sometimes makes it look like i have a life...

Bank Holiday weekend fun...

I'm not going to bother breaking stuff down day-by-day, but i finished interpreting my results and writing up the quant meth project between Friday and Sunday.
Yesterday (Monday) i did some reading for my conference paper. I'd promised myself i wouldn't let it take up time until May 1, but that date has now passed, so it's open season on social movements theory. I may post that paper somewhere.