Oh, and what is above does not even include my textbooks, writing books, etc.
The first thing I'm going to do with all of this is go through the box and reread all my papers to get my mind back in academic mode. Then I will go through my notebooks and my syllabi. Then I will go through my masters papers to see what relates to my PhD dissertation topic.
The big ? is-- How fast will I get through this working 4 jobs 7 days a week? Oh, well. This semester is all about one tiny step at a time.
"Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.”
Winston Churchill
My friend Jilda left me a voice mail recently that went like this-- "Hey Mary Alice, Has working four jobs driven you insane yet? What? Three jobs wasn't enough for you?" Now, coming from a New Yorker such as Jilda this message is a little worrisome. Jilda moves at a very fast clip and is concerned that I might be going insane. When a New Yorker who fights Manhattan holiday crowds, the Bronx subways and busses starts expressing concern that maybe your life is going at a fast pace, you take notice. Hmmm...
"One step at a time is all that's possible - even when those steps are taken on the run".
Anne W. Schaef
It warms my heart to know Jilda is thinking about me. It's nice to have friends who want to walk this walk with me and who are hoping I succeed. Without their encouragement, this walk would be lonely. I would not even take these steps. Jilda's one small message put a little skip in my small step.
"One step at a time is good walking”
Chinese Proverb
Peace, MAM :)
.jpg)
es, under my coffee table is the exact same mess. I don't recommend that location...Unfortunately, the cat barfed on an article, but it wasn't all that helpful, anyhow. I have had trouble keeoing track of which book is from what library, and where I found certain articles from...make a list if you don't want to be as bumbly as I! Melissa
ReplyDeleteGreat idea about making a list regarding books. I have a list somewhere of books I read last year that I'll use as references. I also kept notes inside the back covers of books.
ReplyDeleteI do not have a cat so no worries in that department.:)
I like your plan- of going through your notes and lists, Master's work, etc. Sounds good to me. I like that Chinese Proverb too- I'm going to write that one down.
ReplyDeleteI'm going through messes at my house now. I need a super sized shredder!!!!!
One step at a time is all we need, but even better, one step done to music! Hope you are listening to plenty of good music as you wade through this sea of papers!! Know always that I remain one of your first and most faithful fans of your writing!! MaryAlice, the world awaits your wit and wisdom, for it so sorely needs it.
ReplyDeleteLove and Godspeed, even if it is one step at a time.
Laura
Been there, done that! You will make it through. Interesting topic, I must say. I would give you two pieces of advice that helped me:
ReplyDelete1. Michener, who wrote those huge volumes, wrote that he got there by writing something every day even if it was only a sentence.
2. A Russian friend of mine, when I was overwhelmed with having to get 53 pages of my dissertation re-written in one week (in Russian, which is not my native language), told me to forget about the big picture. (I have to admit I am a big picture person who often forgets about the details.) "Stranitsa za stranitsej," she said. Literally, this means "page afetr page," but the underlying meaning is to concentrate on the page you are on and forget about anything else; in time, you will get through all the pages. And I did. I finished the 53d page at the end of the due day, called Fedex, and in the 20 minutes it took for them to arrive at my house to pick up the package, I had it printed and packaged. Whew!
Hope these two pieces of advice help.
The third piece I always give to grad students you seem to have made it past: at some point, just write. Forget about additional research; more information will always be available, so stop researching once you have the major lit review done and all your data collected. This is not going to be your life's opus. That comes later. Just meet the requirements so that you have the degree and the credibility, then move on and publish something brilliant.
Good luck!
Elizabeth, thank you taking the time to comment. I look forward to more helpful tips from you. :)
ReplyDelete