What? Me slacking?

Actually, it hasn't been as bad as all that. But I'm in a good mood now and so I'm being pretty self-forgiving. Probably too much so.

I have been writing, but not in any organized, forward-moving way. I've mostly been writing around my dissertation topic, trying to really get a grip on what I'm writing about. It's useful, I'm sure, but I think I need to get over the idea that my prospectus needs to be in any way accurate. It just needs to be plausible.

Like I tell my students, they don't need to discover some new Truth when writing a paper; it just has to hold together and be supportable in the text. Beyond that, anything goes. For the dissertation I think the standards are a little higher, but only a little. And for the prospectus, it needs even less than that. Or something.

Also, grading. As of this morning at 1:30, I am caught up. But that's going to change on Thursday when they turn in their final papers. Between now and Thursday, however, I've got no excuses. Plus, I bought a new (old) desk on Craigslist and now I'm even higher on the productivity scale. Look at me now, I've graduated from the folding table to the $25 recycled desk that really, really needs to be refinished. But it's sturdy as the earth itself, made of solid oak, and might be older than my parents. Lovely.

My next report will have some specifics, because I'm going to keep track with real numbers: hours and pages and tigers, oh my! You want specifics? Too bad, I'm going to give them to you anyway. Because I'm unstoppable, that's why. Cue "Eye of the Tiger", ready Steadicam, places everyone: action.