Monday, April 19, 2010
Productive Procrastination?
Hard as it may be to believe it has been several weeks since I did any productive research on my latest dissertation chapter. My previous blog entries may have led you to believe that finishing my thesis was the equivalent of Ahab landing that white whale he hated so much, or if you prefer your references somewhat less high-brow, like Khan leaving Kirk marooned for all eternity in the center of a dead planet...buried alive. (buried alive!) And in the long run, that remains true.
The problem is that all of these things keep popping up in the short run, diverting me from my quest. Now, these aren't necessarily "fun" things, per se. With only a few exceptions, they involve academic and/or professional development. But the problem is that they all piled up at once.
For example, within the next two weeks I'll be presenting papers at two conferences (one of which will also be largely organized by yours truly), finalizing a brief magazine article, and conducting a long-distance oral history interview. Add to that a dentist appointment, a workshop intended to teach me how to refine a statement of teaching philosophy, and, in a well-deserved concession to my sanity, a pub quiz to host, and well, the end of April suddenly got a whole lot busier.
But that's not all! Because even before this week, I abruptly found myself in a position I did not expect to be in for several months...applying for a job. With only two chapters (Approx. 40%) of my dissertation written, I assumed that I would need to wait until next year to even start looking at the market. That was before an announcement came up that a well-known museum was looking to hire a historian of technology, specifically one with an interest in the history of American innovation. And what's more, although I missed it the first time through, they didn't require applicants to have a Ph.D. in hand! Once I realized that last point, it was a no-brainer to throw my hat in the ring. Most likely, I won't get the job, but if a similar opening comes up in the future, they'll have my information on file.
The sole downside of all these projects is lost time. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss my dissertation, or at least the illusion of progress that came from working upon it. Right now, it feels like I'm spinning my wheels. With my fellowship here in the city winding down in May, I sincerely hope that I'll be able to get back on track and finish this next chapter before I have to start planning for this summer's move back north to Old Ivy.
Right now, though, there's too much other work to be done. I'll catch you on the other side.\
Addendum: In the interest of honesty, it hasn't been all work and no play. In fact, due to weird set of coincidences, I've also had the chance recently to spend time with two of my good friends from back in my undergraduate days: the first a girl who rarely misses much, the second a well-respected Latinologist. In both cases, I sincerely hope that the next time we cross paths won't be too far in the future.
Hard as it may be to believe it has been several weeks since I did any productive research on my latest dissertation chapter. My previous blog entries may have led you to believe that finishing my thesis was the equivalent of Ahab landing that white whale he hated so much, or if you prefer your references somewhat less high-brow, like Khan leaving Kirk marooned for all eternity in the center of a dead planet...buried alive. (buried alive!) And in the long run, that remains true.
The problem is that all of these things keep popping up in the short run, diverting me from my quest. Now, these aren't necessarily "fun" things, per se. With only a few exceptions, they involve academic and/or professional development. But the problem is that they all piled up at once.
For example, within the next two weeks I'll be presenting papers at two conferences (one of which will also be largely organized by yours truly), finalizing a brief magazine article, and conducting a long-distance oral history interview. Add to that a dentist appointment, a workshop intended to teach me how to refine a statement of teaching philosophy, and, in a well-deserved concession to my sanity, a pub quiz to host, and well, the end of April suddenly got a whole lot busier.
But that's not all! Because even before this week, I abruptly found myself in a position I did not expect to be in for several months...applying for a job. With only two chapters (Approx. 40%) of my dissertation written, I assumed that I would need to wait until next year to even start looking at the market. That was before an announcement came up that a well-known museum was looking to hire a historian of technology, specifically one with an interest in the history of American innovation. And what's more, although I missed it the first time through, they didn't require applicants to have a Ph.D. in hand! Once I realized that last point, it was a no-brainer to throw my hat in the ring. Most likely, I won't get the job, but if a similar opening comes up in the future, they'll have my information on file.
The sole downside of all these projects is lost time. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss my dissertation, or at least the illusion of progress that came from working upon it. Right now, it feels like I'm spinning my wheels. With my fellowship here in the city winding down in May, I sincerely hope that I'll be able to get back on track and finish this next chapter before I have to start planning for this summer's move back north to Old Ivy.
Right now, though, there's too much other work to be done. I'll catch you on the other side.\
Addendum: In the interest of honesty, it hasn't been all work and no play. In fact, due to weird set of coincidences, I've also had the chance recently to spend time with two of my good friends from back in my undergraduate days: the first a girl who rarely misses much, the second a well-respected Latinologist. In both cases, I sincerely hope that the next time we cross paths won't be too far in the future.
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