Silkworms

Have you ever watched a silkworm spin a cocoon? Tranquil - yet lots of work. The last few weeks PhD-procrastination effort has involved a short walk to the local uni carpark to pick a few mulberry leaves to feed the worms. Ok I get strange looks and the odd question, I'm fairly used to that outcome in life. The worms hatched in June (of course we forgot about them) so only half survived the year long wait to emerge from the envelop in our pantry. Starvation probably beats last years culling effort - I fed the excess worms to the chooks. My Mum used to keep silk worms when we were kids and for some reason I have followed the tradition. Our boys know about the life cycle, watching with varying levels of interest as the worms grow from being a millimetre in size to the current 7cm fat caterpillars. Just last night two started to weave their cocoons. Its time to place more egg cups in the box so they have a safe spot to build their sleepy homes ready to emerge as moths for the fun-reproductive stage of life ; )

I woke with a cold this morning. Great excuse to hang with the boys rather than bury my head into statistics. We'll visit the local growers market, change the silkworms home with clean newspaper, play computer games, build bionicles and dare to shop for school shoes. I remember a motivational speaker at school who recommended doing the ironing when you were sick as you may aswell get the horrid jobs out of the way when you feel awful. She also kindly referred to buckets of chips as buckets of fat. Yes she was the famous nutritionist, Rosemary Stanton who was the Mum of numerous kids at our school. Back then she wasn't as well know as she is today. I tend to use sick days as no thinking days - these normally turn into fun-productive homedays.

Aims or objectives or hypothesis or goal or enlightenment= 42

The answer is 42. If only we knew the question. Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy is a classic book that seems to answer why a PhD thesis is so difficult. If we know the answer then we need to know the question. Neither is easy to define. Today I have put the entire day aside to make my thesis aims and objectives clear.

Studying across three differing universities makes the "simple" (lol) task of writing my aims seem impossible. Everyone has differing views and styles. Hmmmm which one is correct? Well that is the beauty of it, clearly if no one agrees then there is not a black and white answer. The main thing is to make them clear so the reader can work out what you are attempting to do and so the discussion can link nicely back into them.  I'd be fascinated to hear if any student used the same aims/objectives in their final thesis as they did in their proposal. Your ideas are refined during your candidature and it's unlikely they are the same at the end as when you started. If they were the same as your proposal was the journey really worth it? Did you learn on the way?

So in order to better work out the ideal "aim" I've been procrastinating by searching the web. Here are some interesting sites I found- just to fuel your own procrastination. If you know some good sites for thesis writing - especially  aims -please leave a comment.

How to write a PhD thesis

http://3monththesis.com/how-to-write-a-phd-thesis/

 

What is a Thesis Statement?

http://www.experiment-resources.com/what-is-a-thesis-statement.html

How to Write a Thesis:

http://ciips.ee.uwa.edu.au/pub/HowToWriteAThesis.pdf 

 

Marias Diploma and Ph.D Thesis writing suggestions

http://www.genetik.uni-koeln.de/groups/Leptin/links/thesis/Thesis_writing_rules.htm

 

Writing a thesis proposal

http://sydney.edu.au/stuserv/documents/thesisproposal.pdf

 

10 easy ways to fail a Ph.D.

http://matt.might.net/articles/ways-to-fail-a-phd/

Aims, Objectives and Guidelines for PhD Students

http://www.cs.bris.ac.uk/Teaching/learning/phd-guidelines.html

Planning a PhD: Getting Your Research aim/question Right

http://www.brighthub.com/education/postgraduate/articles/68825.aspx

With this small selection of web-sites and numerous completed PhD thesis to guide me I'm a step closer to knowing the question, but then again maybe my answer isn't 42.

Bunny

A new distraction has hopped my way. A very cute bunny was discovered by our dog hiding under a car on Sat. I've always told my kids if they caught a rabbit they could keep it. This offer was made knowing full well they had little hope of catching the wild rabbits. It appears this rabbit is not wild - it was friendly and very fat. So we now have a new pet rabbit until someone claims the little fella. The chances are slim as I gather people dump unwanted rabbits at the uni. The environmentalist in me should know better as rabbits are a pest in Australia. We joked on facebook about making rabbit pie, alas the kids have become instantly fond of the cute fury little fella. So another excuse to procrastinate away from finishing my PhD.

A fabulous mum friend has nearly finished her PhD. Its been a long ten years for her and light is appearing at the end of the tunnel. I'm still dabbling in statistics so the light keeps fading away. By the time I've finished I think a paper on the limitations of statistics needs to be written. I'm off to Perth to another conference next week. I'm using the conference as a writing retreat away from the kids to get this crazy thing finished. Back to statistics today.

  

Anything is better than working on my PhD

Ahhhh the washing needs hanging out, a paper needs reviewing, an honours student needs a meeting. Anything is better than working on my own PhD. An ex PhD student passed on a gem of advice the other day. By the end of his PhD he hated it sooooo much that he realised everyday spent procrastinating was one more day he'd have to wait until the PhD torment was over. I kinda got what he meant. Time to end the torment. However the latest PhD avoidance trip to Port Macquarie was well worth the time. Three lucky boys wagging school standing on a turbidite. Another four days of PhD torment is worth a trip away with the kids. Now that I'm sitting here having lost four days the PhD hatred is creeping back. On with a life of regression analysis.

Now

When is a good time to write the thesis discussion!



Hi Ho Hi Ho its off to work I go

Grant writing

Another great way to prevent finishing my PhD is by grant writing. This has kept me occupied the last couple of weeks. A few late nights (we're talking 1am finish with a 6am rise). Talk about a zombie brain walking with minimal intelligence the next day. I need my sleep. I'm so hoping to snag this one, it's a big project with ambitious goals. Fingers crossed!

For those not in academia, grant writing is a bit like bread and butter to us. Often the main funding comes from grants. We rely on handouts generally from the state or commonwealth government. It's a wonderful skill to share with life outside of uni. My proudest grants would be obtaining toys for playgroup or the BBQ and gardening tools for preschool. Who would guess the two worlds blend so well together. Canteen has helped my PhD due to the need to learn publisher in order to layout the school canteen menu. I've since used the software to create images for my publications. Sweet hey!

So no more excuses tomorrow. Back to writing chapter one (and baking banana bread for the school canteen).

None of these loaves were cooked by me. I'd be proud if they looked like these.
  

Blue Wren tapping

Tap tap tap. Last week I though it was a possum trying to get into the roof. I hoped it wasn't rats in the cupboard. Turns out a cute,  little Blue Wren has decided that our window is actually a threatening male Blue Wren trying to take over his turf. So tap tap tap he keeps trying to fight his reflection in the window. He's impossible to photograph as he runs away every time I get close. I captured this photo below. Arrgh -  the Blue Wren - another pleasant distraction from writing my thesis.  

On My Mind: A Friday home photo initiative of Down To Earth. Rhonda’s blog is worth a follow, it’s full of great home and garden tips

Three boys and a few holidays

I have found the ideal holiday location for three boys. My suspicion has been confirmed. People moving cars(eg Kia carnival) keep arriving with a car load of kids. Walking round this place are smiling families with three boys in tow. You know the parents (especially the mother ) looks happy not exhausted. What is the secret?

• A heated pool to dissipate all their energy
• A beach nearby to once again dissipate their energy
• A street of simple two or three bedroom houses
• Two huge TVs
• Wifi access so the kids can plug into their favourite games
• A huge driveway for skate board riding
• A BBQ next to the pool so hubby can help cook
• No regular cleaner so it really doesn't matter if you can't walk into the kids room due to the mess
• Two bathrooms so you don't have to to dodge the inevitable missed toilet mess
• A self contained kitchen. This is a blessing as there is no need to be embarrassed when the kids destroy any nearby restaurant. Three boys are never great at sitting still at a restaurant. This self contained kitchen results in a self contained family dinner where the boys can eat, be silly, move and laugh. I love it!

In contrast we went to Bondi earlier in the holiday. We had a free night in a 4.5 star hotel that needed using up. So I took the boys. Sol was away with uni students looking at rocks. It didn't help that it rained so much we were mostly stuck  indoor. It also didn't help that one kid had a sore toe so was not up to walking far. We ate out resulting in an expensive trip with the usual crazy behaviour caused by my middle boys reaction to certain foods. The beds in small contained rooms turn into trampolines. The squeals of delight were most likely heard all over the whole fourth floor. So the 4.5 star hotel gets the thumbs down.

We also went on the family holiday with the cousins. Bliss! Kids love kids especially kids they grow up with. I even need to confess I loved hanging out with my big brother. He knows how to laugh and have fun.

So the Phd has not been done this holiday. My brother nicely pointed out (like all brothers do) the true reason my PhD  is not finished. Procrastination. I'd like to call it mothering. At least I'm enjoying life.

Icing on the finger bun

I'm thinking of writing a book. All this blogging and PhD writing has actually made me enjoy writing. Originally I started blogging to improve my writing skills.  Back in school I found english shocking  until a tutor explained creative writing wasn't about being creative but rather about writing with fluent grammar and correct spelling. Word software has been wonderful at teaching me spelling and hinting that my grammar is all wrong. Luckily there are people called editors!

The book I'm dreaming up is inspired by the school canteen. Today I picked up 25 finger buns for the canteen. Oh so yummy looking with pink icing. Our committee spent a long time discussing where to buy the finger buns and what icing to have due to kids with allergies and intolerances. How could I not choose the title "the icing on the finger bun". I could cover many parenting themes of our generation. Topics such as  food additives, artifical colours, family juggling, time managment, getting ready for school, homework, after school sports, man flu, holidays, sick kids, exercise and the list goes on. One of my characters would be a vegetarian mum whose son only orders meat pies. Feel free to add some ideas for me. Of course I must finish the PhD first. The book would be a hobby when we travel around Oz looking at rocks.  Hmm three boys, hubby, dog and myself in a caravan for six months. Now that might be a more interesting story to write about ; )


,

Friday morning

I love a friday morning, even in the rain. Alex (the dog) and I head off to the beach for a morning walk. Alex has been part of our family for over a year now. We collected him from the pound when he was just over one in age. His first visit to the beach was an experience. The sand was strange to him and the sea was scary. Obviously he had not been taken to the beach before. Now he runs like mad, chasing the sea gulls in eternal hope he may catch one. So far the sea gulls are winning and Alex is staying fit. We had the beach entirely to ourselves today. The sea was wild and the rain mild. Beach dune erosion was making those great walls that kids adore jumping off.

Friday morning is market morning at home. I go each week to buy our vegies off the local growers. I love knowing where our food comes from and who grew it. The farmers share stories about their farm such as the green houses being destroyed in the recent winds and the trick of actually feeding the vegies nutrients to make them so superb. My home grown vegies never look as good as theirs.

I walk back into the home at 8am all relaxed having seen the sea, chatted to the food providers and breathed fresh air only to be greeted by the school morning crazies. It took no time to start bellowing stop fighting over the footy cards or I'm throwing them in the bin!, have you brushed your teeth, go make your bed, where is your homework folder... Then the bus arrives, it takes the little monkeys away then its just Alex and I. Alex sits by my side as I try to muster up the motivation to sit at this computer and work on the PhD. Luckily the house is such a mess from the morning chaos I give my self an hour to feed the chooks, have brekky, clean the kitchen, pop on the clothes washing, bring in a load, have a tea and check the emails/facebook/blogs.

Alex is now fast asleep, its time to study, no more procrastination excuses (except maybe hang the washing on the line).

On My Mind: A Friday home photo initiative of Down To Earth.  Check it out.

I had a dream

I was playing some music this morning for some writing inspiration. I find that music can take away that writers block and and settle me into a productive mental state. Well, this morning I ended up in tears. Not from misery but pure happiness at an inspirational woman. I was checking out some musicals we played many years ago and came across a gorgeous performance.  I'm a bit behind the times as Susan Boyle became famous from her show on Britain's Got Talent a while ago. I had not got around to watching the episode on TV or following any of her journey into stardom. Well talk about a great story. The audience went from laughing at this contestants dream of becoming a famous singer to standing in ovation when she sang. The judges spoke about it being a privilege to listen to her. Give it a watch and feel the inspiration. She had a dream to become a professional singer and she well and truly is now. Check out her success in Wikipedia. Susan achieved Guinness World Record status with her success.

I'd stick the Youtube in but its been disabled. Use this link it'll get you there

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk

This was her second performance of the same song. Wow.

 

Emma Jane

Emma Jane wrote a very relevant article in The Australian today.

I love the quote

"Endless postponements of study in lieu of tea preparation and house cleaning"

I so agree

The article is called

Giving birth or delivering a doctorate, they're both labours of love

The agony, ecstasy, exhaustion and exhilaration of making babies or studying for a PhD.


Here is a link to it. Have read!


Love it

She also has a web page at
http://emmajane.info/

My favourite tea mug for procrastinating

Productive procrastination

I've been working on the productive procrastination today. Made a location map for my Ch 4 Case study on Mount Bold. Of course the computer crashed wthout me saving the final touches. Scary blue screen announcing I need to seek help. Reboot and away went that screen. Luckily the learning had been done on my map so fixing it didn't take too long. I'm backing up my stuff  now the computer is alive again . It was last year when I backed up at home. OK so the production has not been so great this year buts there's still plenty of work to loose. Gosh knows how long ago I backed up away from this house. If it burns down I'm in strife. Mental note to fix that tomorrow.

ps This is not my house. It was a training exercise at Verdun. Check out
South Australian Country Fire Service Promotions Unit for amazing photos.
We live far enough away from the bush for no direct flame contact from a bushfire however the sparks and embers could get us. Most likely reason for the house to burn down will be when I forget to turn the iron off or I leave the stove on. No worries about the ironing, I generally successfully avoid that wasted past-time. Actually the flickering electrical lights might cause it. Another mental note. Must get the electrician over to fix the house.

Healthy School Canteen

We opened today with the new menu at school. What a buzz. We even served wholemeal bread. Gone is most of  the heat and serve crap. We had fresh sandwiches, toasties, woasties, frozen fruit, frozen yogurt and of course the staple meat pie and  sausage roll. We gave away free Smoozes as a promotion. Created a huge line of smiling kids.

It was a success. I confess much of the essential PhD time has gone towards setting up this canteen but it is worth it. So nice to volunteer and do something worthwhile. I can now be a canteen Mum without refusing to eat the food we serve the kids. Today I actually ate the food. Chicken, spinach, mayo woastie. Yummo. 

Ying and Yang

Got the kids on the bus, feed the chooks, hung the washing out and started the mental process of switching from Mum to PhD. Nice simple to do list was forming in my brain such as write an abstract for an up and coming conference. Of course the phone rings. Its the Ying of my life asking me to Ping into action and become his Yang and drive him to a missed appointment. Hmmmm once again the PhD procrastination bug was fed by the Ying in my life. Luckily the mental support and cheerleading he gives balances out the interference. So yes hubby and I make a great Ying and Yang team. Enough blogging time to work on the PhD.





Great picture hey. Copyright 2008 Cara Dawson

Silly season

The silly season has taken over and is destroying my PhD focus. Hmm cooking, planning, shopping and organising etc is so much more important than statistics. The kids finished school yesterday and today the in-laws arrived. I've got no hope to refocus. Just take a look at the toy room which needs to be clean in two days for one of the many visitors to sleep in...Where’s the magic gene lamp when I need one?