Either.

ProcrastiPro is annoyed that what was supposed to be a 1-hour nap turned into 7 hours of sleep, but is now getting on with it.

That's funny Chrisrolinski!
I am not utterly convinced at this hour of the night, and when I'm this far behind, that there is any after-phd state (not sure whether it should be called a life, precisely)... Certainly there may not be an afterjob, but best not to contemplate that one - I, at least, still feel compelled to believe in the possibility! ;-)

Ah, dvds...what were they again? ;-) One of those things we get in the 'After' life?
Wishing y'all more motivation tonight than I have myself!

ProcrastiPro is reading a mountain of marginally relevant pamphlets, probably to avoid writing a concluding paragraph...and incidentally is eating everything in sight.

Hey, you're doing great, you'll get there. :-) I know I don't normally post on this thread, just filling in temporarily for people who have gone to bed!

Oh good, hope it goes well Lara, you seem to be on a roll anyway! I'm supposed to be finishing a paper, but can't seem to stop looking up unnecessary stuff on silly databases. And then have a chapter overdue.

Are you writing too, 404?

Anybody else toiling away on a Saturday night, soon to be Sunday morning? ("sniff") Actually self-pity is not called for - I had loads of sleep last night...

I'll claim whichever one moves the slowest!

Thanks Chris, but you can't have my name, I am THE pro in that department unfortunately :=p

And Lara, thanks & good luck too, I know all about snail's pace! but we'll get there.

I have a Dr Pepper in reserve, really can't face any more tea for a while.

Trying to write as well...nice to see someone else is still up. I just need 1200 words more, which is not a big deal, but having trouble focusing on work!

I really liked Shalimar the Clown as well, also Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. The structure in CA seems a little gimmicky at first, but it's still a good story (/ies).

Curiosity and a touch of romanticism (or insanity, there's a fine line between the two).

This may sound strange, but I think this particular version is a little bit hard on the supervisor in places. Just picking a random minor point - why should my supervisor have to make sure I submit funding reports on time? Of course I expect him to sign off his part of such things on time (which he invariably does, lucky me :=7), but I don't feel neglected because I have to take the initiative.

I wonder if part of the problem is the definition of 'argument'. I don't think it necessarily implies taking issue with other people's work in a contentious sort of way (although, of course, if the topic fits the originality criterion and is worth spending four years on, surely there will be some scope for pointing out gaps / modifying previous scholarship).

When people say argument is essential, they generally just mean it's a good idea to have something to say and to be able to say it within a logical structure...If the answers to 'so what? is there a point? what does all the detail add up to?' are missing, then it's unlikely that you've produced a terribly integrated or coherent whole, either.

But if you're writing proposals, certainly don't agonize too much about the content of the conclusions. You just have to be sure there are worthwhile questions to be answered & show that you won't be reinventing the wheel. In the case of specific topics, if you're not sure whether an idea is MA or PhD material, that's what supervisors / potential supervisors / advisors in your field are for.