Sitting in my van

Well, this is fun...am sitting in my van doing not much of anything...read a few chapters, but still have almost an hour to kill. Suppose I could go inside and find a more comfortable place to sit and read, but I prefer to smoke. Yeah, I know, my bad.

Didn't have much of a break over the holidays - too many papers to write and articles to read - but sure did enjoy what time I did have ....and it was very nice to take some family time in between the papers.

Quite a bit busier this semester, but I think that might actually turn out to be a good thing - I'm more disciplined when I have things to do and deadlines and all that fun stuff. Which is not necessarily a good thing, since for the next 3 years after this year, a big part of the deal is that I need to be able to manage my own time, and get things done without so many deadlines. In May, I start working towards my first of two comprehensive exams - then it's ~just~ my thesis, once those are done.

Need to get a whole lot better at my work withOUT deadlines.

I have, however, continued to do very well at setting - and keeping - my writing goals. I write for an hour each morning ...have not missed a day since Jan. 2 ...and am finding it very, very useful.

I am writing the old-fashioned way, with pen and paper, but largely focused on schoolwork..the paper(s) I'm working on, the articles I'm reading, where I'm going, what I need to do, and so on.

It is a very helpful process...am hopeful that it will greatly improve the overall quality of my work this semester.