As I brush the webs of disuse off of my blog (and hope there are no digital spiders lurking in the corners), I thought I would fill the gaps between some of the interesting posts I have planned (interviews, ichnology, upcoming field work) with a short update on my 2013 To Do List.
A. Academic
I have to say that I am off and running on this resolution! I have four papers either in press or in review on which I am either first or second author. There are others where I am the tertiary (or lower) author, but I won't count those right now. Three are in vertebrate ichnology, and one is...wait for it...are you sitting down?...are you bracing yourself?....MY M.SC. THESIS!
How long ago did I get my M.Sc., you ask?
2009.
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| It took you THAT long to submit a simple M.Sc. thesis?!? I am a Northern Saw-whet Owl, and you should be ashamed of your lack of work ethic! www.allaboutbirds.com |
I accept your scornful and disapproving gaze, Northern Saw-whet Owl. Yes, it took me an embarrassingly long time to put a stake in the heart of that undead creature. I could lob excuses around (and I think I have some good ones) but to be painfully honest, every time I opened up the file to work on it a wave of ennui and self-reproach would wash over me. Couldn't my time be better spent on that grant proposal, cataloging fossils, that paper with five coauthors, or my Ph.D.? I've learned that there is always something that I should be doing instead of research, and the trick is to find a balance between what I HAVE to do and what I WANT to do. I now take two days out of the week that are purely research and writing. The other five I sacrifice to the Gods of Administration. That bit of balance allowed me to finally get the M.Sc. research in to review.
B. Athletic
This is where my plans took a huge hit. Between getting my vision surgically corrected and having to pay the piper for tax time, plus the increased time commitments of the upcoming Geopark Proposal Symposium we are holding this July, there was no way I could logistically and financially make it to the Soke Cup competition. Nevertheless, I am still training hard to improve my techniques in karate, and now that the weather is finally warming up I can transition from indoor elliptical workouts to outdoor running (I have the cold tolerance of a hot-house orchid). I am still a snooze button junkie, but I have reduced my refined sugar intake considerably. Small steps.
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| What are you doing, writing about athletics and such piffle? You have work to do! |
I will sign off to appease the various statues and owls who insist on pinning me with their judgmental eyes.
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| Yes, that is quite acceptable. Just don't wake me. www.ofo.ca |
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