freakin grad classes
Okay, so I procrastinated.
On Tuesday of next week, I have an hour long powerpoint presentation and journal article review to do for Forest Ecology.
My topic?
Biotic and abiotic factors influencing liana diversity.
In other words, more water means more types of vines. More light means more types of vines. Higher temperature means more types of vines. Etc etc... It seems common sense, doesn't it? There is nothing novel that I am uncovering here, except that there seems to be a conflict: If diversity is greater where there is more water and sun and thinner trees to climb on.... why is there LESS diversity in areas of disturbance such as logged forests, burned forests, or... um... deforested forests. Sigh. The mysteries of life. Don't worry, I will let you know when I figure it out.
And the thing I really hate is doing bibliographies. I mean, really, how freaking annoying? Stupid MLA format. I am thanking the Lord for Noodlebib, which makes created a works cited SOooOOoooOOoOOOooooo much easier. Praise the Lord for resources I am supposed to be using for my students but instead use myself. Yeah!
Anyway, I started getting into it tonight because I idiotically agreed to present next Tuesday. I did not have to. I could have gone in two weeks. But no, I thought to myself, self, you work best under pressure, you need to have a fire lit under your butt to get this done, so lets make it happen.
Now here I am, freaking out about it.
And so the presentation is Tuesday... technically, I can turn in the research paper the Tuesday after that but, catch 22, I cannot do the presentation without writing the paper first, since I am basing the presentation on the paper. Ahh, there's the rub.
Meanwhile, I have this epidemiology paper to write. The guidelines are to become an epidemiologist and to create a baseline level with which to determine an epidemic of a disease of your (limited) choice.
Naturally, I chose syphilis.
Fortunately for me, most of the data is up on the PA Dept of Health's website. Did you know that Chester County had 6 cases of syphilis in 2005? Yum.
However, its been a pain to get more data. I have called the dept of health a few times and finally they referred me to the Bureau of Infectious Disease. I called today. They were in a meeting, but I was told to ask for someone in the STD division. Awesome, I wanna work in the STD division. Sigh. Hopefully they will have what I am looking for. If not, then my prof is just out of luck, and he will get what I got.
That being said, I am not entirely sure when that paper and presentation is due. I know they are both on the same night. I know I am going 3rd out of the grad students.... but I have NO IDEA what night that is. It could be the 10th. It could be the 12th. Heck, it could be the 5th for all know... but I am absolutely dedicated to getting that freakin paper done by the 5th. So, worse case scenario, if I have to go on Wed night, it will definitely be over with. Bite me.
Anyway, tomorrow I plan to head straight to the Chester County Library to write my rear off and hope that its making sense. I read over a journal review I did a few weeks ago, and its like greek. And I dont know greek.
Meanwhile, Jon is having an equally frustrating and painful week in Alabama... possibly soon to be at Nichiha in who knows where. I dont know when I will get to see him again. Maybe tomorrow? Maybe not. Who knows. But regardless, probably not till these stinkin papers are over. He is way too much of a distraction. Sigh.
Okay, its bed time, if I can sleep with all this bs on my mind.
On Tuesday of next week, I have an hour long powerpoint presentation and journal article review to do for Forest Ecology.
My topic?
Biotic and abiotic factors influencing liana diversity.
In other words, more water means more types of vines. More light means more types of vines. Higher temperature means more types of vines. Etc etc... It seems common sense, doesn't it? There is nothing novel that I am uncovering here, except that there seems to be a conflict: If diversity is greater where there is more water and sun and thinner trees to climb on.... why is there LESS diversity in areas of disturbance such as logged forests, burned forests, or... um... deforested forests. Sigh. The mysteries of life. Don't worry, I will let you know when I figure it out.
And the thing I really hate is doing bibliographies. I mean, really, how freaking annoying? Stupid MLA format. I am thanking the Lord for Noodlebib, which makes created a works cited SOooOOoooOOoOOOooooo much easier. Praise the Lord for resources I am supposed to be using for my students but instead use myself. Yeah!
Anyway, I started getting into it tonight because I idiotically agreed to present next Tuesday. I did not have to. I could have gone in two weeks. But no, I thought to myself, self, you work best under pressure, you need to have a fire lit under your butt to get this done, so lets make it happen.
Now here I am, freaking out about it.
And so the presentation is Tuesday... technically, I can turn in the research paper the Tuesday after that but, catch 22, I cannot do the presentation without writing the paper first, since I am basing the presentation on the paper. Ahh, there's the rub.
Meanwhile, I have this epidemiology paper to write. The guidelines are to become an epidemiologist and to create a baseline level with which to determine an epidemic of a disease of your (limited) choice.
Naturally, I chose syphilis.
Fortunately for me, most of the data is up on the PA Dept of Health's website. Did you know that Chester County had 6 cases of syphilis in 2005? Yum.
However, its been a pain to get more data. I have called the dept of health a few times and finally they referred me to the Bureau of Infectious Disease. I called today. They were in a meeting, but I was told to ask for someone in the STD division. Awesome, I wanna work in the STD division. Sigh. Hopefully they will have what I am looking for. If not, then my prof is just out of luck, and he will get what I got.
That being said, I am not entirely sure when that paper and presentation is due. I know they are both on the same night. I know I am going 3rd out of the grad students.... but I have NO IDEA what night that is. It could be the 10th. It could be the 12th. Heck, it could be the 5th for all know... but I am absolutely dedicated to getting that freakin paper done by the 5th. So, worse case scenario, if I have to go on Wed night, it will definitely be over with. Bite me.
Anyway, tomorrow I plan to head straight to the Chester County Library to write my rear off and hope that its making sense. I read over a journal review I did a few weeks ago, and its like greek. And I dont know greek.
Meanwhile, Jon is having an equally frustrating and painful week in Alabama... possibly soon to be at Nichiha in who knows where. I dont know when I will get to see him again. Maybe tomorrow? Maybe not. Who knows. But regardless, probably not till these stinkin papers are over. He is way too much of a distraction. Sigh.
Okay, its bed time, if I can sleep with all this bs on my mind.
posted by FireWithin at 9:52 PM
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