I think this is brilliant.
I also think it is a terrible reminder of the things for which we need to prepare. Honestly, it makes me very, very sad and maybe just a little bit sick to my stomach.
I remember the first schoolbag backpack my parents gave to me in grade school. Navy blue with white 3M reflective safety strips, the bag came from LL Bean in Maine. I was thrilled. I packed my lunch schoolbooks, gym clothes and much more into that bag, eventually wearing it our from so much use.
The bag had everything a young schoolboy needed, pockets galore, comfortable shoulderstraps, and a large central core for books and whatnot.
I'm glad my backpack did not need to have a bulletproof shield in it.
Many, MANY months ago, I embarked on a course toward thesis-dom, on a path fraught with peril, or at least, a lot of research. OK, well, I thought that bit was done, but I've, increasingly, come back to the starting point, wondering exactly how to make this thesis "work."
The data analysis really is not what's stalling me, it's the simple fact that the data exists without any story. No really information regarding how it was captured, what was done in the intervening years to change things, etc. etc. etc. OK, maybe it is stalling me. But that aside, I've made SEVERAL starts at this project with poor results and that REALLY annoys me. I'm not one to give up easily, nor do I often find myself stumped by things like this, but I'm stymied, blocked, held up by something... and I've been pushing for a breakthrough. I don't want to go through this whole exercise again.
Then again, I came across a paper I wrote for one of my M.A. classes. I've been increasingly interested in the topic and I'm in a unique position now to ask some very pointed questions to executives. Maybe even get a bigger sample than I would have had access to before. I know this is all sounding very vague... perhaps that is intentional... but this is not really a "work log" but a chance for me to look at my options... to mull over the ideas and challenges of communication research... to take a long hard look in the mirror and know that I have to make a decision soon, and get to work ASAP.
I've scheduled my Monday evenings so I can work on my thesis. I want to be DONE in the next 60 days if possible. I want to have my 50-100 page thesis research and paper done. I want to defend with confidence a topic which is both interesting and timely. I want to make use of the resources I have at hand. And I don't want to wait anymore or put it off as if I have the luxury of doing so. I'm getting back to work with a renewed passion and vigor... wish me luck!