The Cellar  

Go Back   The Cellar > Main > Home Base

Home Base A starting point, and place for threads don't seem to belong anywhere else

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-31-2009, 03:50 AM   #1186
limey
Encroaching on your decrees
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: An island within the south-west coast of Scotland
Posts: 7,016
"you must never go down to the end of town without consulting me!"[/obscure]
__________________
Living it up on the edge ... of civilisation, within the southwest coast of
limey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2009, 04:44 AM   #1187
xoxoxoBruce
The future is unwritten
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 71,105
James James Morrison Morrison Weatherby George Dupree
__________________
The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.
xoxoxoBruce is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2009, 02:41 PM   #1188
limey
Encroaching on your decrees
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: An island within the south-west coast of Scotland
Posts: 7,016
Thumbs up

Quote:
Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce View Post
James James Morrison Morrison Weatherby George Dupree

__________________
Living it up on the edge ... of civilisation, within the southwest coast of
limey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2009, 07:00 PM   #1189
DanaC
We have to go back, Kate!
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 25,964
@ Sundae: yeah, sorry bout that hon. Though I booked hotel room etc earlier in the month, I didn't really prepare for the trip til last minute. Also, I only had three nights booked, which meant only two and a half days at the archives. I knew I had to maximise my time and that meant early nights and early starts. I had work to do in the evenings (took my laptop), though as it turned out i was so damn tired I barely got any of that done. I didn't really know what to expect when I got there. I needed to do this one by myself.

Had a really stressful first day in the archives, realising how under-prepared I was, and how completely I'd misunderstood the cataloging system. Ended up going back to my hotel stressed, dog-tired and feeling very down. I knew at that point that I had not got as much as I should have from the one day of extended opening hours (10-7) and that the second full day was only 10-5 and after that at best I'd get two hours on the Thursday before going off for my train.

Having spent nigh on £400 on hotels, food and travel, plus the cost of a digital camera, I was facing a possibility that I'd come back without anything useful for my thesis. Quite apart from the money spent, the idea that my thesis idea simply wouldn't fly was worrying the fuck out of me.

Next morning I ended up booking in for another night at the hotel to buy myself a full Thursday (9-7) having figured out some of what I needed to look at. Still wasn't sure if it would be useful mind. So I went in on the Wednesday feeling slightly less panicked about the timescales, and that gave me a little room to follow a trail or two. Which I was then able to hit with a vengeance on the Thursday and on Friday morning. I was exhausted by the end of every session.

Thankfully on the Wednesday I found a couple of oblique references to some stuff that may be useful as well as, during my lunchbreak whilst my camera battery was recharging, some directly useful stuff in secondary sources which gave me a clear idea of a set of records to copy on Thursday and Friday. Really wish i'd taken more notice of those references when I'd read that article first time around! I knew I was looking for the WO 71 records...I just didn't realise til I got there what a vast fucking category that was!

I had guessed prior to going, and in fact was right, that I would not be good company lol. At least until i figured out what I was doing. Once I figured that out, it was a slog to get as many records photographed as I could in a very short space of time.

Next time I go, I will have a much clearer idea of what i am doing and will be working from a more defined research plan. This will hopefully mean less time wasted going off on fruitless tangents (though two of the tangents were in the end useful). I will therefore, hopefully, find it less stressful and exhausting:P and we should definitely meet up!

If you're up for it, I could seriously use some help next time. Couldn't have coped with help this time as I didn't know quite what I was looking for and it's hard to articulate when you are swimming blind. But with a proper research plan and the records pre-determined and pre-ordered a second set of eyes (and digital camera if you have one) would be invaluable. Though....you may find just taking hundreds of photographs a little wearing and dull :P From time to time whilst taking photos you do come across some funny/quirky/interesting little snippets of text.

How far away from Kew are you btw? I kind of assumed Aylesbury was quite a way off. But I realised during the trip that my understanding of Southern geography is woeful.

Sorry, this turned into an essay...

[eta] oh, guess what...when i went into the archives on the Thursday, who shold I bump into but my supervisor! He was down there doing research for a presentation he's giving in a few weeks lol. That was nice. Took a break at thge same time and grabbed a coffee together. Fortunately I had by that time found some useful records. Thank God I hadn;t bumped into him on the Tuesday lol. I'd have just been a quivering heap of panic and stress.
__________________
Quote:
There's only so much punishment a man can take in pursuit of punani. - Sundae
http://sites.google.com/site/danispoetry/

Last edited by DanaC; 10-31-2009 at 07:06 PM.
DanaC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2009, 08:27 PM   #1190
ZenGum
Doctor Wtf
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Badelaide, Baustralia
Posts: 12,861
Dani, this sounds like perfectly normal (in fact, more productive than normal) research. Most students take the first six months even figuring out what general topic to do their thesis on. Chin up, you multiple-prize-winning scholar you.
But don't turn up your nose at interesting tangents. They are often very valuable in their own right. I think you got this, though.
Any chance you could get Sundae hired as your research assistant?
__________________
Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008.
Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.
ZenGum is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2009, 08:28 PM   #1191
DanaC
We have to go back, Kate!
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 25,964
Six months? lol. I can't afford six months to figure out a general topic, it's only a one year course!
__________________
Quote:
There's only so much punishment a man can take in pursuit of punani. - Sundae
http://sites.google.com/site/danispoetry/
DanaC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2009, 08:53 PM   #1192
ZenGum
Doctor Wtf
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Badelaide, Baustralia
Posts: 12,861
Meh, my neighbour is doing a one year honours course in science (malaria cure). His thesis is due November 4.
We last spoke about a week ago, and he still hadn't been able to get his experiments to work properly.

But maybe Darth Vader was only half-right ... your hate makes you strong, but fear makes you work your arse off. Be afraid, be productive.

(p.s. I think it is awesome that the spell checker recognises Darth Vader ... but only with capitals! )
__________________
Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008.
Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.
ZenGum is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2009, 09:11 PM   #1193
DanaC
We have to go back, Kate!
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 25,964
lol does it really? Does it recognise Doctor Who?
__________________
Quote:
There's only so much punishment a man can take in pursuit of punani. - Sundae
http://sites.google.com/site/danispoetry/
DanaC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-01-2009, 08:31 PM   #1194
Major Matt Mason
Old School Cellardweller
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Springdale, Arkansas (of all places)
Posts: 38
Quote:
Originally Posted by lookout123 View Post
who else is missing?
Well, I'm around for the first time since (looks) ye gads, July of 2006.

BrianR got on my case about this during a convo this PM, so I'm remedying matters...

-MMM-
__________________
It's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide.
Major Matt Mason is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2009, 06:32 PM   #1195
monster
I hear them call the tide
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Perpetual Chaos
Posts: 30,852
It's been a few weeks since aliantha posted, although she has been around....
__________________
The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart
monster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-11-2009, 07:50 AM   #1196
classicman
barely disguised asshole, keeper of all that is holy.
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 23,401
Yeh - been thinkin bout her too.
__________________
"like strapping a pillow on a bull in a china shop" Bullitt
classicman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-11-2009, 09:30 AM   #1197
footfootfoot
To shreds, you say?
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: in the house and on the street-how many, many feet we meet!
Posts: 18,449
Quote:
Originally Posted by DanaC View Post
lol does it really? Does it recognise Doctor Who?
As kids, my siblings and I had a pediatrician (Chinese) named Dr. Hu. (Pronounced who)

Imagine the limitless juvenile mirth:

"We're going to see Dr. Hu today."
"Dr. Who?"
"Yes."
"No, what is the name of the Doctor?"
"Hu."
"THE DOCTOR!"

etc.

Abbot and Costello had nuthin on us.
footfootfoot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-11-2009, 09:32 AM   #1198
skysidhe
~~Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.~~
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 6,828
I've been wondering about Ali too.
skysidhe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-11-2009, 06:18 PM   #1199
kerosene
Touring the facilities
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: The plains of Colorado
Posts: 3,476
Me too!
kerosene is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-11-2009, 08:54 PM   #1200
Pie
Gone and done
 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 4,808
According to Facebook, she's on a trip (I think!)
__________________
per·son \ˈpər-sən\ (noun) - an ephemeral collection of small, irrational decisions
The fun thing about evolution (and science in general) is that it happens whether you believe in it or not.
Pie is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:49 PM.


Powered by: vBulletin Version 3.8.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.