Friday, August 15, 2008

Absolute Zero

Here's another week of my writing journal. I think there's something of the masochist about me for posting this document of abject failure, but for some reason, right now, I'm finding it so absurd, I can only laugh. I suppose the point is that achievement can't always be measured by counting words.

Monday, 11 August, 2008
time: 0 mins
length: 0 words
comment: Exhausted from non-stop weekend including final days of film festival, meeting of book club, full day of tutor’s conference on Saturday, and tutorial preparation on Sunday. Dragged myself into uni for tutorial at 1pm. Received feedback from supervisor on most recent writing: ‘onward!’

Tuesday, 12 August, 2008
time: 0 mins
length: 0 words
comment: How easily I seem to have lost the writing habit after the first couple of very good weeks. I lazed around all morning then dragged myself out for a haircut appointment. I need to get back on track!

Wednesday, 13 August 2008
time: 0 mins
length: 0 words
comment: Nothing done again today. The psychological effects of the Ekka holiday cannot be discounted, but still I did intend to work on my thesis. I’m a bit disappointed in myself. Did lots of washing and cleaned the bathroom, as well as about two hours transcribing interviews for one of my RA contracts. This particular interviewee speaks so quickly.

Tomorrow I will try to write first thing, which I realise was the initial recommendation, but I’m not a morning person by any stretch, so I’ve always settled into the day before attempting to write. Perhaps the change of habit will shake me up. Something has to.

Just had a thought about what might be stopping me from writing, so to speak. I really have to get into the reporting of my findings now, and I’ve still got lots of categorising to do, plus the usual worry that I should go and do the database searches again in case I’ve missed something. Even if I don’t strictly write tomorrow, I at least need to report some progress on the content analysis.

Update: After writing the above entry I wrote 660 words in my teaching journal, reflecting on the tutor day last weekend and the tutorial on Monday.


Thursday, 14 August 2008
time: 0 mins
length: 0 words
comment: I succumbed to the urge to re-do some database searches. Part of the difficulty is that I’m worried I didn’t really approach the searching in a systematic way from the beginning because two of the three the databases I’m using are so bloody unwieldy, seemingly designed for use by those who know specifically what programmes they’re looking for rather than any theme or content-based search. I have been so annoyed about this glaringly obvious oversight in the design of these databases that I managed to get an abstract together on it for the television history conference later this year. So, some good has come out of all this frustration, but sheesh what a pain in the arse it’s all been.

Anyway, so, no official words but major problem solving going on—or is that major grunt work going on? My supervisor assures me that once I have the figures writing this stuff up is a doddle. Quite looking forward to that.

Friday, 15 August 2008
time: 0 mins
length: 0 words
comment: Anticipating the day ahead here. I’ve chosen to accept an RA mission for today (cue Mission: Impossible theme music), which involves finding a book and searching through it. I figure the Mission: Impossible allusion made by D in his request was a heads up that it won’t simply be a matter of looking on his bookshelves. Still have more transcribing to do for A. Promised I’d be done with this interview by the end of the week, which I’ve decided is Sunday.

On my own work, I’ll continue with the hyper-vigilant database searching. I did find it reassuring yesterday.



To end, this is from You, the Living one of my favourite films at the film festival. Neither it, nor my other favourite, My Winnipeg made it into the Showtime Top 10 as voted by the festival's patrons. Absurd.

3 comments:

lucy tartan said...

My Winnipeg must be a Guy Maddin film?

Kirsty said...

Yes, there's a link over there in the side bar under cinema. It really is quite wonderful.

lucy tartan said...

The trailer is delightful. I hope this film doesn't just vanish now it's had a festivals run. It looks awesome.