tangible results

I finished another draft of one of my ethnographic chapters a couple of days ago. The next task was to start rewriting the conclusion of another ethnographic chapter. Haven't done it yet. I turned on my computer, opened a new document and promptly closed my laptop. Terrified. I hate blank pages.

I decided to write on a notepad instead. In green ink. And I'm not even writing sentences, just sort of ideas that I feel should somehow be incorporated into the conclusion of this chapter.

Did that for a while yesterday and then decided to start to grade my students' bluebook exams. Even though I, like everyone I know, hate to grade, it was preferable to writing. There's something gratifying about plodding through a stack of bluebook exams. Seeing my progress as the stack diminishes.

I could spend hours "thinking" about my dissertation, but making no tangible progress. That's part of the frustration I suppose.

But just so that you think that my life is not just dissertating and bluebook grading, I should confess that my roommate and I went shoe shopping yesterday. And I bought a pair of extremely impractical shoes. Olga says every woman should have at least one pair. They were the tangible results of my shopping excursion. :)

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