the pendulum returns
May. 12th, 2005 05:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
trocheeI'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]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
thevorak's birthday party. See you all later...
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:
thevorak's birthday party. See you all later...
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-05-13 01:02 am (UTC)It's always a pendulum. But you enjoy it while you can. You take the good while it's there. ;)
no subject
Date: 2005-05-13 01:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-13 03:01 am (UTC)Otherwise those are the lowest bits ;^)
no subject
Date: 2005-05-13 03:29 am (UTC)And yay! for advisor as lion. And boo! for screwed up data lists (says the queen of finding --causing?-- data mixups).
no subject
Date: 2005-05-13 04:32 am (UTC):)
no subject
Date: 2005-05-13 07:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-13 01:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-13 07:18 pm (UTC)I gotta stop looking.
no subject
Date: 2005-05-13 09:29 pm (UTC)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!!