Friday, November 8, 2013

drop bears

yes, the animals here will kill you. i know this.  and i've heard of drop bears.
but
...apparently drop bears like tourists more.


http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/drop-bears-prefer-travellers-says-study.htm

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

rulers

i was helping av make beanbags last week and i was using a ruler to make the pattern.  and it hit me that both sides of the ruler had centimeters.  not one side for inches and one for cm.  because they wouldn't need or use weird, non-metric measurements.

Monday, October 21, 2013

phd in october

as experienced via emails (going backwards in time):

21 october

got a rejection letter on friday.  one of those sad ones where the reviewers were split.  and since it had actually gone to reviewers in like may, it's been a long time waiting on that.  bummer news on top of my mess of a statistics nightmare. so frustrated.  trying today to do analysis for the project i have to present in a couple weeks - gotta get something to type up on a poster...  fearing the complex stats on this one.  taking 5+ minutes to run the thing which i'm not entirely sure i've correctly inputted syntax for.  fun times over here i'll tell you.
i just want one project's process to go smoothly.  seems to much to ask.  fearing i'll have to give up on my hope to do my thesis by publication too as time's running down on that clock.  still have something out under review, but the hope is fading against the clock.
16 october
been waiting on my copy of PoM to show up at my door?  i've given up waiting and figure i won't actually get to see my name on paper... rather disappointed about that actually.
i don't think i'll ever really have a 9-5 job.  although i was thinking about data stuff and stupid menial task work the other day..and decided that having undergrad minions is definitely something that goes in the "pro USA" job list.  i mean, for real, i'd love to have a research assistant to give stupid work to. and that's totally how things work in the US... 
been getting angrier and angrier on the data analysis front this week (and last).  as i actually have a deadline of getting data analyzed and figured out within the next two weeks.  feeling really angry today.  need help from the stats dude.  saw him yesterday and reaffirmed what i was doing.  only to go back to my office and discover another (new) problem.  stupid output not showing me the post hoc comparison test thingys.  wish it was an analysis procedure i understood, but i can't solve it.  and i've spent all day basically waiting for an email response to help which i haven't gotten.  losing days because of other people drives me batty.  if it's because of me, i'm okay with it - i mean not happy necessarily but if it's my fault then it's on me.  but this is aggravating beyond belief.  can't understand what's happened to october - was supposed to be my month. 
12 october
can't wait to turn [my thesis] in.  can't really fathom that point yet...seeing as i technically haven't really started my thesis.  but i'm trying not to think about that.  more worried about the confusion that is some data analysis at the moment.  hoping/needing to get some help on that asap.  
feeling a bit over the whole thing yesterday and today.  worrisome, but maybe if i manage to pin down the stats guy to help me (rough to do) i'll feel better. ... yeah i just want to ignore [my entire phd] for awhile.
10 october
realized that time is moving real quick for october.  got big plans of finishing off two other projects.  but these social media [manuscripts] have been sucking the life out of me.  have spent the last hour doing random things with the thought being that i'll just start my whole day tomorrow on the other project.  hoping my brain is ready for that. ...

08 october

the revisions i'm needing to have been making for the past few days are above my brain power i think.  tried to take a break away from it yesterday.  will see if i can get somewhere today.  also have other analyses for a different project to do but really just want to get the social media paper revisions done so i can attempt to send it off to a journal and commence the waiting/rejection.
i'm still waiting until christmas to decide how i'm going to (have to) write my thesis.  it's been long enough since i last submitted manuscripts to a journal for publication attempts that i've been anxiously waiting to hear SOMEthing.  if i can get something positive, then i'm hoping my thesis writing will be a bit along the lines of publication.  ...
spent most of yesterday re-running some analyses because i realized i somehow had two participants named the same participant number in my file which was affecting the analyses.  was not happy about that.  i mean i should be in the sense that i caught the mistake so that now it's correct. ...  so many numbers...


03 october
i just hate that i spent like an hour trying to deal with whether i need to use single or double quotation marks and just stupid stuff like that today.  got really frustrated with conference proceeding versus papers presented at conferences.  especially because i think i'm going to have to change the style from apa to something else anyway.  ugh.  

03 october
yo, random (yet not) question for you-- have you cited the IFPI report in something you're aiming to publish. and if so, have you done so in an apa style? and if yes, how?
:) i hate fiddly apa rules...


october 2013



01 october
--mtg with bob.
--mtg. with pam (mentor)
--3 minute thesis competition (which i had signed up to do, but then never received any information. but that's okay)

02 october
--mtg. with adrian
--dinner

03 october
--physio appointment

04 october
--kiana did some special effects makeup on my arm

05 october
--cycled to the gym for body balance
--had marking to do
--dinner with av.
Zac, Av, and i were hanging out.  Beau came home.  with some more, new fish.  and a bunny.
Consuela bunny: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/consuela-bunny.html

06 october
--music

07 october

08 october
--mtg. with brody
--bodypump at the gym

09 october
--tutored
--went to a mentor tea with my mentee emily.  was a nice chat.

10 october
--bodybalance at the gym

11 october
--submitted the Facebook uses and gratifications manuscript for a publication attempt
--cards against humanity gathering ( i think)

12 october
--bodybalance at the gym

13 october
--picnic

14 october

15 october
had a data analysis meeting to clear up the process. it did, except that shortly after i discovered a new problem.  still have that problem. don't like that problem.

went with petra to a storybattle (poetry kind of thing) in the city.  was cool. should go to more and find other slam poetry type events to attend.  was nice to do something like that.  was a bit of a rush to get there though because i went to bodypump at the gym with kate and then the bus driver decided to ignore the fact that 3 of us wanted to get off at the stop.  but it worked out in the end.


16 october
new term of ceramics started. yay ceramics.  a new teacher - super aussie looking surfer dude.  picked up the stuff that i made last time.  was hoping to get straight back into it, but clearly the in between time was evident.  still excited to be doing pottery again.

17 october
18 october
went over to Petra's to hang out.  then we went out in Leederville to have burritos and a beer.  it was grand.  plus as a bonus, zac picked me up from the train station in the city so i didn't even have a ridiculous commute home.  we then picked up av and hung out.

19 october
20 october
failed attempt at data analysis things.  went to MANNA to cook.  not much to do, left early.  went to av's and helped her sort out her kitchen.  as compensation, i got a delicious meal.  mmm. but burned my tongue on the soup.

21 october
yup, that's today.
attempting to run analyses. some are being run.  some are taking many many many minutes to run.

22 october
--mtg with adrian
--submitted the social media manuscript for publication attempt

23 october
--tutored
--had ceramics

24 october
--went to the tav

25 october
--had a mtg with brody
--went to pasar malam (night food market on campus)… mmmm
--went out to the tiki bar with ashley and erin -- good fun

26 october
-the day that is my name day
--karaoke outing. super fun.  veggie dinner and then karaoke in our own little room.  followed by good dancing at the court.

27 october
--kings park adventure with av
--assisting av with house clean up
--adventure to freo for fireworks (w. brent, zac, and av)  (4d fireworks with av's shaking)

28 october
--bodypump at the gym

29 october
--location manuscript submitted
--mtg with adrian
--assignment moderation mtg for tutoring
--bodypump at the gym

30 october
--tutor
--ceramics

31 october
--physio
--mtg with adrian
--halloween at the hub.

september 2013



01 september
02 september
03 september
04 september
05 september
06 september
joel's birthday

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/joels-birthday.html

07 september
08 september
09 september
trip into the country with my mentor
=lots of driving, pretty scenery, delicious lunch in a small town

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/country-trip.html

10 september
11 september
12 september
13 september
14 september
15 september
16 september
17 september
18 september
19 september
20 september
21 september
22 september
23 september
24 september
25 september
26 september
trip to the ballet with avila.  we saw onegin.  it was great.

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/ballet.html

27 september
28 september
29 september
30 september

august 2013


01 august
02 august
03 august
MN half marathon & afternoon with missi & delicious italian dinner

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/mn-half-marathon.html
photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/missi.html
photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/st-paul.html

04 august
dinner at the sheas

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/dinner-at-sheas.html

05 august
06 august
flight to Toronto

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/toronto.html

07 august
CogMIR conference & trip to the art museum

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/toronto2.html

08 august
SMPC conference day 1

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/toronto3.html

09 august
SMPC conference - presentation day

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/toronto4.html

10 august
SMPC conference & dinner cruise

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/toronto5.html

11 august
SMPC closing conference day & sundayfunday walk around toronto

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/toronto6.html

12 august
brunch & baseball game; plus the start of the journey back to perth

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/toronto7.html

13 august
14 august
15 august
16 august
17 august
18 august
19 august

photos:

20 august


21 august


22 august
23 august
24 august
25 august
26 august
27 august
28 august
29 august
30 august
31 august
dolphin cruise

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/dolphin-cruise.html

july 2013


01 july
02 july
03 july
04 july
05 july
06 july
07 july
08 july
09 july
10 july
11 july
12 july
13 july
14 july
while out skating - photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/skate-views.html
15 july
16 july
17 july
phd folks went to hoopla for my birthday
photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/birthday-hoopla.html

18 july
19 july
flight journey from perth>sydney>san francisco>chicago
photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/flying-home.html

20 july
chicago day with jt and steph

21 july
Birthday, Chicagoland marathon
photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/chicagoland-marathon.html
photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/birthday.html

22 july
23 july
24 july
25 july
26 july
27 july
28 july
29 july
30 july
31 july
trip to the zoo
photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/zoo.html

june 2013


01 june
02 june
03 june
04 june
05 june
06 june
07 june
08 june
09 june
10 june
11 june
12 june
13 june
14 june
15 june
16 june
17 june
18 june
went out to dinner for bea's birthday
photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/beas-birthday.html

19 june
rock climbing.  really was enjoying rock climbing adventures.
photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/rock-climbing.html

20 june
21 june
22 june
23 june
24 june
25 june
26 june
27 june
28 june
29 june
30 june

may 2013


01 may
02 may
03 may
04 may
cinco de mayo fiesta
photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/cinco-de-mayo.html

05 may
06 may
07 may
08 may
09 may
10 may
11 may
kiana practicing her sfx makeup skills
photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/kianas-sfx.html

12 may
13 may
14 may
zac's farewell gathering at the pub.  sunday funday afternoon/evening
photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/zacs-farewell.html

15 may
16 may
17 may
trip to the beach for sunset with randeep
photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/beach-w-randeep.html

18 may
19 may
20 may
21 may
22 may
23 may
24 may
25 may
26 may
27 may
28 may
29 may
30 may

april 2013

01 april
02 april
03 april
04 april
05 april
06 april
i, said the sparrow gig
photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/i-said-sparrow-gig.html

07 april
08 april
09 april
10 april
11 april
12 april
13 april
14 april
15 april
16 april
17 april
18 april
19 april
20 april

petra's birthday
photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/petras-birthday.html


21 april
22 april
23 april
24 april
25 april
26 april
27 april
28 april
29 april
30 april

2013

it appears that i really haven't written about my experiences working on my phd in 2013. while i knew that i hadn't done much, i am surprised that there is nothing.

today is the 21 of october, quite nearer to 2014 than most of 2013.
that's a shame really.

i decided awhile ago that i might try writing a haiku as a way to express each day.  a haiku would be succinct and short and i thought that might work (i can't take credit for the idea; autumn has done that; i wonder if she's kept up with it).  i figured i'd get caught up with photos and the like and then institute it.  but, alas, here we are again.

i don't really want to have this be a catch up.  i think that distorts the reality of the experience in a way.  not being in the moment, but always reflecting backward upon it.  plus it doesn't help to continually look back when attempting to be able to look forward.

i also thought that i could use a series of email exchanges with a fellow phd student can probably fill in for part of my experience these last few months.  that writing is probably more real than anything else, as it's able to be phrased to someone who likely is the one best able to understand me and my phd.

today, and yesterday, last week, and the week before have been bad phd days.  actually today's been the best out of that lot.  but still on the negative, rather than positive, side of the scale.  data analysis issues and conflicts and trouble galore.  and impending (actual, real) deadline that doesn't help in the absence of supervisory meetings too.

i'm really tired of data issues. i was hoping to get through a project without them.  i've toiled with the others enough, i feel, to warrant one project without them.

i also got a rejection letter on top of that mess on friday.  while i'm happy to finally have an answer-- wait, i don't think happy is the right adjective... it's taken a long time to receive the notification, which means that it was reviewed.  split reviews leading to a rejection, in fact.  takes away a portion of the hope placed on the manuscripts as to making a decision about the thesis process by christmas.

spss is still (for the entire time i've been typing this post) trying to run an analysis.  they're taking quite a long time, you see, which is why, you see, i'm on the blogger website.

but back to the phd in 2013.  there's been some highs, some lows, some ups, some downs, a few accomplishments, and a lot of headaches, and even more drafts, analyses, and revisions.  no one could ever say it's not a twisted full-time adventure.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

the excitement of actually finishing manuscripts and sending them off for publication attempts is quickly and repeatedly pummeled to a pulp with repeated editor rejections.
ugh.
tiring.
yesterday i could actually see my breath as i walked to school.  so perth is definitely turning towards winter which once again is totally bizarro as it's the first day of june.
i'm seeing posts of people graduating and finishing up school and it's even nearing the end of the semester here, yet june in perth is definitely not northern hemisphere climate.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

mali without music

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/opinion/the-day-the-music-died-in-mali.html

still want to go to mali one day.  hope that this gets sorted for them first though.  such a major part of their life and history to ban.

that and the libraries.  eek.

Monday, April 1, 2013

march

01 march

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/jazz-cellar.html

02 march




03 march

04 march

05 march




06 march




07 march




08 march




09 march




10 march




11 march




12 march




13 march




14 march




15 march

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/melbourne-2.html

16 march

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/parting-ways.html

17 march
18 march
19 march
20 march
21 march
22 march
23 march
24 march
sculpture by the sea
photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/sculpture-by-sea.html

25 march
26 march
27 march
28 march
29 march
easter egg hunt at the hub
photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/easter-egg-hunt.html

30 march
easter bocci and bonfire at villa de upton
photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/bonfire.html

february 2

the second half of february

17 february

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/alison-visits-1.html


18 february


19 february


20 february
21 february
22 february
23 february
24 february


25 february
26 february
27 february
28 february


photos

may not have managed to write anything on this blog, but i've spent hours today uploading photos from february and march so there's that to look at... (and hopefully words to come)

Friday, March 1, 2013

money

alison sent this link, shortly after she left.  it's not like i haven't expressed this... a lot.  but yeah, the limes do make it really obvious.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21519050

Saturday, February 16, 2013

february


only halfway, today's the 16th.  there's still time to complete my end of feb phd goals and get back on track blogging.  this is a motivating thought.


4 february M
5 february T
6 february W

7 february TH
11 february M
12 february T
13 february W - super hot.  flatmate adventure to kings park.

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/kings-park.html

14 february TH - woke up to haze and the strong smell of bush fire. hub= school work. gym.
15 february F - day at the hub.  wrote, read, double checked references, revised.  same old thing.  juliana and i got take away catalanos (yummy italian in vic park) for dinner.  all of the tables were reserved although only like 3 had people, so we didn't stay.  ate at her place instead.  was a nice dinner and chat.  then as i had missed the bus by 5 minutes, i decided to walk until the next one, except then i figured because i was already at the coles that by the time the bus came it would take about the same time as me walking the rest of the way. so i raced the bus.  interestingly, i watched it cross the intersection of hill view and berwick as i was a block away.  so it beat me by about two blocks.  feel okay about that; it was a nice walk.
16 february - today.  so far i've done laundry, cleaned a bit, answered emails (what? i actually had emails from people?), went to the body balance class at the gym, wrote my ethics attachments, and returned to this blog.  oh and i went to the retirement community op shop on my way to the gym.  pretty sure the old ladies were real skeptical of me.  would like to go to the proper op shops to look for potential awesome dress deals - but would have to have day time hours to do so.  maybe someday in the future...

january


a new year, and a renewed hope/spirit/drive to make progress

1 january T:
2 january W:
3 january TH:
5 january S:
6 january S:
7 january M:
9 january W:
10 january TH
11 january F
12 january S
13 january S
14 january M
15 january T
16 january W
17 january TH
19 january S
20 january S
21 january M
22 january T
23 january W
24 january TH
25 january F 
27 january S
28 january M
29 january T
30 january W

on being home, the rest.

M 17 december
T 18 december
W 19 december
TH 20 december
F 21 december
S 22 december
S 23 december
M 24 december
T 25 december
W 26 december
TH 27 december
F 28 december
S 29 december
S 30 december

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/annual-pics.html

photos: http://blogographannex.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/craft.html

the neglect was worse than i thought


eek. dear blog, i thought i had at least blogged through going home for christmas.  sadly i think i only managed to weakly get up to the point of me going home while home for christmas.  well, that's a shame.

neglect

i realize i've been neglecting the blog.  it's not that i don't think about you, dear blog of mine, because i do.  i often have grandiose ideas of going home at night and filling in some updates.  but alas, i find that after typing/writing/trying to write manuscripts all day, i just really don't have the heart to type more.  sure, you say, it's different than academic writing.  tis true, oh blog, but it's more writing and more staring at a screen close to my face.  i'd like to recount the really great week i had in january (great for phd reasons none the less; and, seriously, WHEN does that happen) and i'm hoping i will in a recap as that time has come and gone.  this past week i felt really overwhelmed.  actually on friday the 8th it was bad.  this week, i guess slightly better.  but it's at this point where the progress i'd been making is coming back on top of me, begging for revisions and improvements all at the same time.  it's suddenly and overwhelmingly a lot.  so there's that to write about.
but i've also done fun non-phd things too that i'd like to share with you, oh blog.  like last weekend's wine (and other food) tasting adventure.  and the crazy bushfire smell and haze this week.  and the fact that i've gotten to chat with dear friends online recently.  or the fact that alison is flying into perth today.  and that brittany is in bangkok traveling through thailand on her way here.  these are good, important to note, things and that i've been neglecting the process of writing, posting, and processing.

so while i can't promise an improvement, i'm at least going to take baby steps to fill in some details.  hopefully then i can come back and flesh out at least some of the good bits.  because i really do want to follow through and maintain you, blog, i really do.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

new year

it's the new year and i'm house hunting on top of trying to finish off multiple articles. fun stuff.


quote i saw the other day, that i'll randomly add here...although it doesn't presently suit.
a play on the usual:

'Don't hate the player, hate the complex array of socioeconomic factors, genetics, luck, and timing that allowed the player to kick your ass.'