je temporise

Look, a kitten and a duckling! source

I've only been doing homework since around 1995, so you would've thought that by now I would have learnt that If I stopped procrastinating, then I would get my assignments done quicker, and then I could go and have fun.

Instead of writing my literature review, or doing my statistics assignment, or writing a teleconference agenda and preliminary report for the national working group investigating an increase in a certain disease, or looking at my surveillance survey findings, or writing a paper about and outbreak I've been involved with... instead of doing any of those things, I'm typing to you (and painting my nails sort of at the same time).

Over the past three weeks I've painted my nails six different colours. I've actually done my French homework for class tonight. The lawn is mowed and I sprayed all the weeds yesterday (which was fortuitous as I received notification of our upcoming rent inspection today)...

I've had enough of uni. Shame I still have 409 days until it's all over, which, by the way, is how long until my Mum's 50th birthday, so I'll be like "Happy birthday Mum, I've got another Masters degree..."

I may be overly optimistic

It's 12.30pm on Tuesday, with #thesiscountdown now at 75 hours. I've gone and seen the amazing Endnote guy at the UWA Med Library so that I can merge my reference lists into one. I've fixed all my in cite references for my tables (but not my figures or appendices). I've cleaned my Endnote library making sure things are italicised and journals are shortened appropriately. I've just received comments on my first two chapters from my supervisor and do you know what?

I reckon I can do this!

I am really excited!

All I really have left is to write up my discussion chapter, make my conclusions, collate my appendices, merge it all together, print four copies, run over to the Med Reception by 4pm Friday and BOOM - I will have almost completed my Masters of Infectious Diseases. All that will be left after that is my final presentation, which will be in early November (I think), where I get to tell everyone what I did, why I did it, and what I found.

Here's praying against computer crashes, cloud wiping, usb losing, printer ink run-outs, paper jams and anything else that could possibly go wrong in the next three days.

I have a freaking degree

So how is it that I find the most simplest things difficult?

1) If I don't dilute things, then there is no dilution factor

2) Apparently when working with bacterial counts, you first log transform and then take the mean

3) You can't calculate recovery rates when you already did it last week

4) 10-1 in excel is apparently 9, not 10 to the power of negative 1

5) Google can't answer your questions if you don't know what you're asking

dismayed

Dismayed (verb) to break down the courage completely, as by sudden danger or trouble; dishearten thoroughly; daunted

This is how I have been feeling since the the beginning of March, when it dawned on me how flipping huge my MInfecDis [MID] project and subsequent epidemiological [epi] project for my MPhil(App Epi) [MAE] was getting - over 1,000 environmental samples, approximately 300 faecal samples, statistical analysis of 300 medical questionnaires, a validation study of sampling tools, two potential journal articles and two theses.

I think that's a fair reason to be overwhelmed.

But just five minutes ago I set up my last set of validation experiments, which when run shall be completed by this Friday, leaving all of next week for me to complete my MID thesis with submission on Friday the 11th of October, 2013.

When I first felt overwhelemed I wrote up this verse I have had it stuck to my desk
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" Joshua 1:9 ESV

It has rung true at so many moments, and I know that it will continue to ring true until December 12, 2014 when my final oral examination is complete, and even after that when I finally get a job - the Lord my God will be with me wherever I go, He will strengthen me and encourage me.

There's still my MAE epi project to complete - the other 500 environmental samples, the faecal and medical questionnaires - but right now I feel like I've achieved greatness. I honestly wanted to quit so many times so far, and I know that with all the projects I have got coming up that I will want to quit many more times over. But next Friday is seeming achievable to me right now.

This is my mapping out what I need to put in my thesis

#thesiscountdown = 10 days