Well, since my last, I have sat and wrote stuff.... I have written my 3-4 page abstract. I wrote it once last week, gave it to my supervisor, and it came back with no red!! Unfortunately, that meant a total re-write. So I re-wrote it and it came back again, with no red. But several "v. good"'s on it... So this was sent away to the guy who I will be presenting my thesis to. Happy day for me!!!
Next project: Book chapter. Due ASAP. I wrote this yesterday to my suprise. I started the day slow, but then ideas came and flowed onto my screen!!! So the hardest part of the chapter is done. It's only the first draft, and there are generally a few, but the first it always the hardest because you need to formulate what you want to say and how you want to say it. Scientific writing is just experiment-based, stylized story-telling. And when it comes to just straight writing, I'm not that bad and can get my ideas across, sometimes (who am I kidding... most of the time) it's a bit wordy, but the point ends up being clear, and that's what the chapter thing is all about, summarizing a section of the work we've done and making it accessable. So this weekend I will re-write and edit this, and make it flow better. Nick (supervisor) will have to add red ink to it though as he and some other people in my dept are doing their own sections, and he will have to edit them all to make them seem like one piece of work, but I will hand it in to him early next week (Monday or Tuesday)
Got the first third of my first draft of my literature review... Very little red ink again and my heart sank as I put a lot of effort into it... Happily though, he had good things to say, like it was "Interesting reading" (that's a good comment), and that it read well. Of which I thought so too, I would post it, but it's like 10 pages, and who out there (besides me!!) really cares about the current concept of what a cell's plasma membrane actually looks like and how it interacts with itself and the proteins embedded within it? And the scientific processes and sequential discoveries which led us to where we are now....
I thought so... But without this type of knowledge, you would not have the antibiotics, the new treatments for chronic myeloid leukemia, HIV, etc etc etc, so it does have its worth I guess.
Just musing, so humor me.
Next project: Massive powerpoint presentation to show all of my thesis. Due: presentation is on June 7. Have started, but, PROBLEM: Need results for the problem I bitched about earlier this month. My final chapter is on a DNA microarray analysis of my T cells, of which I have just
recieved trial packs of the antibodies today. MEANING, I don't actually have ANY results for this chapter, all I have is a beautiful method to do this... So I should have something to show on the 7th.
Well, I have to go home now, got caught up in a coffeed conversation with a really nice sales rep who is trying to help with the problem of the previous paragraph.
Alright, I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like me.
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3 comments:
Yes, you certainly are smart enough- in that vein, I take all the credit!!!! So glad that all my red ink days are over, my literacy level has been at grade 4 for 30 years and is on a rapid decline- I'm glad you find time to blog- love you mike- mama
Hi Mike - teahound has a good point about having fun. Your work sounds challenging.
All the best - Jim
Your work blows my mind. Don't forgot, we are all part of the same gene pool and a little bit of credit should go to Grandfather -hehehe. However, I am now in my declining years as well.
Reminds me of Max...his work boggled my mind too! I never really knew what he did, but whatever it was, he did it well.
Thinking of you always..lots of love Auntie Marsha.
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