Hi Lara, thank you for your kind words and good luck today it soooooo close now! I'm feeling better now, although still generally down. However! Now that I have returned from my ridiculous teaching job, I am going to do some work and achieve something for me, me, me.

Today I will

1. Write the first draft of my third, and final, case study chapter outline.

Right, the kettle's boiled, and I'm going to get my decaffinated psychological pick me up, and put a big warm sweater on: then it's full steam ahead.

Uou're welcome Eska! i like your get up and go attitude!! that's great :)

good luck with your goals!! i have some stomach pains, so taking it easy at the moment. hoping to feel better later tonight - so i can pull a night shift instead. :$

======= Date Modified 20 Oct 2009 22:25:46 =======
Hi everyone,



I just ground to a hault brainwise after trying to convert a stutter to a flow since about 8pm. However, I wrote 600 words of the appox 1200 in need for this chapter outline, so that's ok. Tomorrow I have various appointments during the day, but will get some viewing and writing in, maybe early in the morning and defo in the evening.

Oh! and good luck with the stomach pains Lara.

======= Date Modified 22 Oct 2009 19:02:58 =======
finally emailed the final version of the corrected thesis to examiners! yipeeeee :-) now i just hope they say its all okay. going to take the evening off and relax :) and then nervously check my email tommorow and next week hehe
=====
Thanks Eska! good luck with your writing!!
----------------------
today is the day! that i am going to email my final version of my pdf corrected thesis!! going to just have one final look through it and then email it !!

1. do final checks of all chapter files. check formating >> save 2 versions, 1 highlighted, 1 non highlighted.
chp 1 DONE! :-)
chp 2 DONE! :-)
chp 3 DONE! :-)
chp 4 DONE! :-)
chp 5 DONE! :-)
chp 6 DONE! :-)
chp 7 DONE! :-)

3. check page numbers on TOC, TOF, TOT - DONE! :-)

4. convert each chapter into a pdf file (yellow highlighted and non yellow highlighted version) DONE! :-)

5. convert the thesis into 1 pdf file (yellow highlighted for examiners) and another version without yellow highlighted) DONE! :-)

6. Final proof reading of thesis PDF file - highlighted and non highlighted version DONE! :-)

7. email final corrected pdf thesis to examiners. DONE!! :-)

Hi everyone, I didn't get my first draft finished, it's about 800 words long at the minute so it needs about another 400 words. That sounds like nothing, but, in it, I'm working out how much of a chapter will go, and I'm not confident about this one; I'm going to just write it out today and then thrash it out with the sup until it works.

So! Today I will:

1. Finish up the content part of my chapter outline and then conclude it.
2. Work on on of my introductory chapetrs, making it more of a methods chapter, rather than the historcal context piece it had been before.
3. Re-draft my third chapter outline, so the whole thesis outline is in at least second draft.

I know this is optimistic, but I wil try; the first aim is a must, however.

Good luck with the finalising Lara!

Well, I've finished the first draft of my last case study chapter and I'm happy with the content - it's 1,450 words in total - but my printer is out of ink so re-drafting is not possible today. I may start writing my new methods chapter tonight, but now I am having dinner and watching X factor.

======= Date Modified 28 Oct 2009 21:31:19 =======
======= Date Modified 28 Oct 2009 20:47:15 =======
======= Date Modified 28 Oct 2009 18:51:21 =======
Thanks Eska!!! :-)

Well after waiting nervously for the past 5 days. today i recieved an email from my examiner saying.

"excellent. get it off to Senate House; X and myself have sent off all the documentation but perhaps when you hand it in you might enquire that all the paper work is complete (just in case)

The very best of luck to you."

i cant believe it. my thesis is actually DONE. finished, no more corrections. its actually finished. i cant actually believe it myself. i feel like is it really over? I'm having a real hard time letting go of my thesis! Now all i have to do is email the PDF to my brother and he will print it for me. But I cant seem to get myself to actually email it! I'm procrastinating on it! i know it sounds so ridiculous.

i remember Joan Bolker saying something about it in her book.

i think im going to go look through my pdf one more time lol. which is silly cause i've checked it loads of times, the two examiners have now just checked my final version. so why cant i just say its done and get it printed. i guess cause then it feels so final.

i know im being silly.

so i thought i would come here, and actually declare my goals for tonight! in the hopes it might help me to actually just do it. and stop putting it off. also taking the day off tommorow and going to the cinema and meeting a friend for dinner. so i should just email it today and then be done with it.

my goals for tonight:

1. final check of the thesis PDF file. DONE! :-)

2. email my brother the PDF of my thesis and ask him to make 2 copies DONE! :-) omg i kept checking my pdf!! and couldnt bring myself to send the email, even when i had the email written and the pdf attached, it still took me 30 minutes to hit the SEND button! lol i finally sent it!!!

wow! many congratulations Lara- really well DONE! now go and celebrate! :-D

Lara, your PhD is DONE !
So, you deserve a well earned break now. Hard work always pays in the end.
Try writing HOLIDAY and let us know when its DONE.
:-)

======= Date Modified 29 Oct 2009 13:14:34 =======
Lara that's brilliant, well done good luck sending that one... last... email! You know you can do it...



Although I will miss you on this thread :( Thanks for the support you've given me and here's to your future, hopefully that will include a holiday soon.



8-)

Dear all,

I have to do some writing today because I'm really behind. I'm meeting a friend 1/2 an hour away at 5pm - so I'll give myself until 4pm to work.

After I've put on some warmer clothes I will:

1. Re-draft my three case study chapter outlines.
2. Read for a contextual chapter outline I need more info for.

Number 1 is essential, I can work on 2 tomorrow and Monday.

There wil be some lunch in the middle of this.

I'm off to put on a sweater and some big fluffy socks, and then get started.

Well done Lara for getting it all Done! Really great to see that you have achieved all your correction goals and within a really short time. Like Eska I will also miss you on this thread.

I have been away for a while, family events and just other things happening outside of the PhD. Have been working on some data though and getting a little bit done each day. Problem is, it feels like very very little is getting done and I am beginning to feel like a nervous wreck, keep having nightmares! Anyway, this evening I have lots of data reading to get through and finish drafting some questions from this reading. I probably won't finish reading everything but I will have to have these questions ready for tomorrow. Hope everyone else is getting their goals met this week-end.

Hi Bulbs, sorry to hear you are so stressed, but I'm sure you will get your work done and things will level off for you soon.

Yesterday I finished the second draft of my chapter outlines, and wrote the contextual chapter outline, I've decided to just go ahead with it as previously planned and then speak to my sup about it when it's finished. I've also decided that there is a shortage of already published info on that chapter's subject, so I need to talk to sup about that too. I've made the decision to try and just push work out more quickly so I can have more discussions with sup and move things on that way. I need to be less perfectionist and just get it written out and sent to the sup.

So tonight, while watching X factor and other dubious items of television, I will:

1. Compile my references for my thesis outline.
2. Make sure all necessary ctations are in place.

so that tomorrow I can:

1. Print out the second draft of the thesis outline at work.
2. Red pen the second draft when I get home.

Good luck Bulbs!

Hi Eska, thanks for support. I think I am stressed because I know I need to be further on that I am. But will keep on going anyway.
Hope you got your references and outline sorted.

I finished my reading from last night this evening - DONE! I have to get questions out from this reading now. Then try to read a paper for a workshop that I might try to attend tomorrow. Today was taken up with a medical appointment and then had to rest in the afternoon for two hours because I didn't sleep till late last night. I wish I could solider on when I am tired but I can't, which explains why I have no set hours and work all over the place! Must try to get some regular hours going when I am getting more into the writing phase. Glad to hear that some TV in the background is a shared experience!! I have ugly betty at the moment!

Hi all,

I finished my referencing and most of the citiations, with a few cites left to insert; I also printed the outline out on Monday and have red penned th re-draft for most of it.

After work tomorrow and over the weekend I will:

1. Finished penning in the re-draft.
2. Type in the necessary alterations.
3. Put all citations in place.
4. Final check the references.
5. Print out the third draft.

Tonight I feel wiped out, as I have done all day, so I am doing nothing. However! Writing this down made me feel a it more productive and focussed...