20 February 2012

Running fast, writing slow

Daily Run 
  4.02 mi
6:53 min/mi 27:43 475 kCal
    Achievement 
Thesis run
41,414 words
Revising methods
Mild Confusion/ Distraction

Did it take me a half hour to get that table to look exactly the way I wanted it to? Yes. Yes, it did. But learning HTML that's like a real skill, right? Something that might be marketable.

The weekend was good, thanks for asking. Unfortunately, at about 14:00 on Sunday afternoon, I feel incredibly tired though. And I have this series of thoughts:
  1. I'm incredibly tired
  2. I suspect running yesterday is contributing to that
    1. God, I love running
  3. I probably should not drink so much coffee before I go to bed
Then 18:00 rolls around, I've eaten and I have this series of thoughts:
  1. I'd like some coffee
Of course, this series of thoughts should a) actually be a series and b) include the key second thought: 2. I think I should probably abstain as I want to sleep through the night. But no. I drink the coffee and I get up at 01:00 and 03:00 and then at 05:00 when I think, Great, I can go running now!

And then I run.

Speaking of running, stretching and the minimalist shoes have solved my injury problems I think. At least the initial ones. And my time today was smoking hot, although I did work for it like nothing else. Go faster, go harder. Weight and injury considerations aside, I think I'm going to be able to beat my PB for sure and well improve on my initial goals too. Provided I stay healthy. 



Where's my thesis in all this? I'm not sure. I want to add some more descriptors to the 'Thesis Run' column seen above, but all those descriptors are qualitative, not quantitative. And actually, although I have 41,414 words in my thesis document, whether that means anything or not is hard to tell. It probably doesn't mean much, if I'm honest. I don't need to write more; I need to write better.

Metaphorical conception of PhD identified above, in natural written English: Writing your thesis is finding an object in the dark

The weather was cold this morning, but the weekend had hints, great hints in temperature and earthy, wet aroma, of Spring. No job, no thesis, and an uncertain future? None of this matters if the weather is nice.

We also went, as a family, to Starbucks: my idea of a Sunday morning well spent. On the way to Starbucks, however, we have to pass by an attorney's office, one that specialises in divorce. I always feel uncomfortable as we pass it—they have a room you can clearly see with toys for kids to play with while their lives fall apart. There are these awful advertisements, crayon-drawings of crying women, hung in the window with captions about Daddy not just hitting the roof when he's angry. I have another series of thoughts when we pass, thoughts corrupted by a mix of fear and sickness, and simultaneous pride in our little family.

We're just about to pull the trigger on the plane tickets to the States. 31 May–11 June. I'm waiting— wondering if I should wait—for the visa to come through. The cost of the tickets might go up. It might not. we'll have to see. I think if the UKBA doesn't send us anything in the next week and doesn't make any requests for more documentation, I'm going to pull the trigger. And I'm genuinely looking forward to it. My maths-literate younger sister appears to be planning a helluva good show, which, in my petty, selfish world means she picked out the best possible suit and tie for us groomsmen. Moreover, the famed older brother will be coming up early to hang with me, wife, and the chicklets for five or six days before we head up north for the big event.

Thesis be damned! Marking be damned! Job search be damned!