trochee: (Default)
trochee ([personal profile] trochee) wrote2005-05-12 05:37 pm
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the pendulum returns

I'm feeling much better today than I was day-before-yesterday. Hoping this isn't a pendulum effect, because I like where I am today.

Today during class I looked at the whiteboard covered with notation regarding information retrieval theory -- vectors, morphological stemming, probability equations, and diagrams -- and I was thrown out of myself, looking at this from the outside, thinking "this stuff is cool!" I realized that if I walked into the room where it was happening, I'd think "dang, I want to take that class" -- and I am!

What was fun about it for me was the contrast with a few minutes before, where I had been completely in-the-moment, taking careful notes and trying to understand each piece -- I was working without savoring it, just methodically integrating the information into my mind. And by noticing how much I really like the work, I actually lost focus for a few minutes -- but what a lovely way to get distracted.

The meeting with advisor yesterday went fairly well -- she's gone to bat for me to make sure I don't get scooped by people to whom I've offered help, and she's helping me get a picture of where I want to focus my work so that I get a conference or journal paper (she'd prefer a journal paper) before the middle of June. yikes. She understood that I was feeling panicky and left out.

Yesterday I found out some dismaying news about the data I've been working with. It's not all bad, because the experiments are still valid -- but I've been running with a section of data missing. To rerun old experiments would be annoying, but the numbers might be higher. (Since my experiments are all about relative differences, this shouldn't matter much).

Today I worked with a labmate and banged out a proposal for our class project, which I think will become chapter 5 of my MA thesis. it looks pretty sharp.

Tonight: [livejournal.com profile] thevorak's birthday party. See you all later...

[identity profile] boobirdsfly.livejournal.com 2005-05-13 01:02 am (UTC)(link)
Impermanence.
It's always a pendulum. But you enjoy it while you can. You take the good while it's there. ;)

[identity profile] bwb-archive.livejournal.com 2005-05-13 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
Well, with any swinging duality, the good moments are in the middle, yes? :)

[identity profile] xaosenkosmos.livejournal.com 2005-05-13 03:01 am (UTC)(link)
Only if you're a metronome.

Otherwise those are the lowest bits ;^)

[identity profile] beckyb.livejournal.com 2005-05-13 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
oooo. positive feedback from metacognition. crack for graduate students.

And yay! for advisor as lion. And boo! for screwed up data lists (says the queen of finding --causing?-- data mixups).

[identity profile] boobirdsfly.livejournal.com 2005-05-13 07:25 am (UTC)(link)
what ? I screw up data lists ?

[identity profile] beckyb.livejournal.com 2005-05-13 01:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, then, who is yay!?

[identity profile] trochee.livejournal.com 2005-05-13 07:18 pm (UTC)(link)
hah. you know, if you never look for those screwups, you never find them.

I gotta stop looking.

[identity profile] writeanya.livejournal.com 2005-05-13 04:32 am (UTC)(link)
glad to hear you've got your groove back.

:)

[identity profile] lapartera.livejournal.com 2005-05-13 09:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Current mood: smart and hard-working

Sounds like my boy!! It is SO good to hear you like this again.

No, it won't be forever, but, it will be good to remember that there are these good times, too, when the downs hit again. Not too soon, I hope!!