Waiting for that sheet of paper....

Well I handed in my thesis: God hope it was good enough.
handed in my past due work for the incomplete and now it's hoping my grades are good enough to pass. I don't think either effort was my best work. My thesis was more of an anthropology paper than a history one....that's the problem with contemporary issues I focused too much on the contemporary and not enough on the past.

So now I'm in hope and pray mode that my grades were good enough to pass and maintain at least a 3.0 average and I can get my sheet of paper, start working a more fulfilling gig. Otherwise I'll be cashing checks and balancing classes again in the fall, granted I'll probably be taking classes in the fall any way but those are supposed to be helping my grad school ambitions, not going into year 7 on trying to get this damned bachelors. ( 2 years Fordham...1 year off, 1/2 a year of credits not transferring, 3 years of course work at CCSU amid all sorts of family crisis seriously 1 major one per year.)

All that aside the chips have fallen and it's time to get back into training. Start packing and ironing out housing for the summer, settle my fiscal mess...the BA will really help in this. If I have my BA take my GREs, take a Latin refresher as well as either Spanish or Italian and start working on my writing sample, for entering a Phd Program...yes I know I'm a glutton for suffering.

If I get the dreaded..."yeah Mr. Duguay you're six credits short..." letter...after screaming, pulling out a large chunk of my scalp and curling up in the fetal position saying "damn it why do I do this to myself." I'll knuckle down suck it up and see if I can do an Independent study for my thesis.

In my "hopefully" last semester of college I have learned the following:

an 18 credit course load, a 40 hour a week job and training for an Ironman at the same time is not really a good idea.

My professors and co-workers should be up for sainthood.

I don't have alot of friends but the ones I got are good ones. ( damn hope I didn't write like that on my thesis.)

Red Bull is Austria's greatest gift to Mankind.

One Person can single handedly save Colombia's legitmate market economy.

Jstor is my homeboy.

It is quite possible to live for 4 months getting 5=> hours of sleep a night.

Juan Valdez es mi amigo bueno.

Well for right now it's back to the grind.

Waiting by the mailbox.
R.D.

Edit 1: Got news back from my thesis advisor: The paper got a B.

Juan Valdez is my Homeboy....

That's right people it's finals week. Sleep has been replaced by writing...training has been replaced by writing...and to fuel that writing I'm sure I've single handedly helpped increase Colombia's legitamate GDP. I could go on a rant but I'm tired of staring at computer screens more than the back of my eye lids. On the thesis I have enough for a rough draft...essentially half the paper...I feel my ideas are a little all over the place but as long as I can put them togehter coherently it's all good...final copies aren't due until the 20 so I have a week to write 10 pages.

My Modern Germany final paper is due Friday...so I'll be working on that tonight and tomorrow before heading off to Salve....only 6 more pages on the Pope's actions or lack thereof in World War II...

Anth Mid term (to handle an incomplete)...I discovered file courrpted are the two most painful words in the English Language so I had to rewrite it...in fact I need to find the articles that we used last semester for one question... arrg! I just want this thing done.

After all this paper writing nonsense is done I've got to clean my room and start packing...look for a real job and hope that the incompletes were handled so I can get my "sheet of paper" and hopefully start earning enough to pay off my debts...sigh....I wish my life wasn't as complicated as it becomes sometimes.

Well regardless back to the grind...

The human word processor.
R.D.

20 miles in 2 days...now if I could just turn that into 20 pages...

Well ok it's probably closer to 18.
This Saturday was supposed to be devoted to my thesis...I was supposed to be a good little scholastic and chain myself to my desk...I...took a nap and went running...then went to my sister's play and then out for dinner...by the time I got back nothing got done.

Sunday...this was it I actually got some work...like a page and a half done...then the phone rang...my buddy Tony was looking for a running partner for a 5-10 mile run. I figure what could an hour or two hurt...it wasn't like I was going for a 4 hour bike tour of Litchfield County. Well Tony and I went out for a loop of Southington holding 7:24/mile pace....for 9 miles...needless to say when I got home the compression socks went on and I curled up on the couch and fell asleep...sat at the computer from 9PM on and I just couldn't focus.

A lot has hit me in the past week so I'm just trying to carry on and get through...hopefully tonight will yield some better paper writing. It's just I've had a lot to think about regarding my future. I think the other issue with my paper is I know what I want to write and who to quote, it's just the tedium of writing it. I'm hoping that by writing first and citing later it won't come back to haunt me, knowing my luck I'd forget to cite one sentence and all of a sudden be caught in the mother of all academic dishonesty crimes.

Well that's it for me...back to the grind.
R.D.

I have a paper due Wednesday..

and can you guess the weather forecast: Sunny, warm, with an incredibly light wind....
Alright papers haven't prevented me from training before so I just have to HTFU and get it done.

This week my training has been crap....I haven't swum in a week and my only activity has been a 10k I ran on an indoor track...on Tuesday. I guess I can chalk this up to being a rest week. Sadly my lack of exercise is taking itself out on my personality...I seem to be lacking testosterone, hopelessly crushing on some chick, just emotionally a mess, lacking all rationality, having the sudden urge to drink diet soda with a little umbrella in it...damn it I need to do something manly...and quick...before I start watching Sex and the City reruns and ordering Cosmos..oh wait I'm going to have to do that Saturday night ( have to visit a gay bar for a law class project and then write about what it's like to be a minority for a night.).

So in order to save my manly worth I'm going to do some decent training this weekend.

Tonight: an 8 miler followed by a 3000-4000 yard swim, followed by paper writing.

Saturday Morning Swim, Afternoon: a 70 miler and a 5-10k run brick followed by my night at a minority establishment, and paper writing.

Sunday: I'm going to be a heathen and skip mass and go for a Long ride then a long writing session.

My training mileage should start going up in a couple weeks as things start winding down at school...then begins the job hunt for a better paying gig or at least a couple of side gigs I've got debts to pay and dreams to plan for. Otherwise I may be auctioning a kidney on ebay...but we'll see what happens.

Juan Valdez is still my homeboy.
R.D.

The zone...

It seems that in the last few days I have entered the zone. Whether it was the fact that 90% of my stuff was running late, the semester's drawing to a close, or I just want to get shit done so I can start training again...everything has come together. Papers that it took me eons to start and research were completed in what seemed like effortless hours...whether the grades reflect this or not remains to be seen,but shit is getting done, hopefully I'll be able to exorcise the dust off my chain ring this weekend.

R.D.

I'm not dead...

I'm just in the midst of finals. Seriously I never want to type another paper again after I finish this semester...oh wait I have a thesis due before I graduate...damn it all to Hell.

To paraphrase Ben Franklin, "Coffee is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy."

The suspense of which Ironman to pick will also come to it's conclusion this Thursday when I fork over my entry fee lets just say I'm fully braced for the Litany of "You're Nuts" ( I guess I am what I eat.), "You're Crazy", "You're Muy Loco", " Bobby I'm getting you a straight jacket for Christmas this year." Sadly this rules out a blogger reunion beating up Mickey... so to those of you rocking Disney I salute you.

Mother Nature is not helping my training plan at the moment but at least I have the trainer and a massive dvd collection. Anyone with any Tour de France tapes, or dvd's that's not using them feel free to send them my way,I will also take spinervals dvds. I have 6 months of base work going for me..well at least on the run and the swim...so I will devote more time on the stomper, with the Jeff Goldblum mantra of "Must go faster, must go faster..." playing in my head...hmmm spinning to Jurassic Park...might be motivating. Also I'll be riding up at Quassy and Waramaug when ever the weather/ road conditions permit...ahh I can feel my toes going numb already...anyone else want in?

Running in the cold, already know how to do that thank you very much, along as it isn't icy it's all good. Also my tolerance for Cold has built up on the running side it used to be if it was below 20F (-6C)I'd call it a day, now if it's in single digits 9F(-12C) I might debate the treadmill. Cycling I'm still gonna stay at the 30F mark, figure riding in anything colder than that is begging for trouble.

Well that's it for me I still have to crank out some goodness and insert some notes.

Java Jiving

R.D.

Shoot me! Shoot me now!

Yesterday, when I went to email my paper I foundout that it wasn't loading into Central's copy of Microfsoft office..ok I'll just email it from home I thought...I go to open it on my computer and the worst words in the english language flashed accross my screen: "this file is courrpted and can not open." No this is a bad dream..some nightmare from the twilight zone.....a weekend's worth of work gone....oh curse you...oh damn you..oh somebody load me up on caffine as I start over from scratch. needless to say from 3pm Yesterday until 1pm today I was in hurry up offense..I called in sick to work this morning...some new dreadful disease..paperitis could be fatal..symptoms include serve increase in stress levels and drop in GPA..side effects could be an extra semester at Central. needless to say I managed to get it out 13 pages of grade A American...or in this case British Bullshit. I don't really care anymore as long as I pass the course and never have to take it again I'll be happy. It was not my best work but for a combined 16 hours of sleep in the last 4 days, juggling another paper, and studying for exams...it'll do. considering I had to explain to my professor it was late with the modern equivlaent of the dog ate my homework excuse I don't think I scored any brownie points..but the sad thing my computer really crapped out on me....oh the karma train got back at me big time for all the times I used that excuse at Fordham. If my thesis is going to be anything like this I'm starting my research now..because when I handed in that paper I felt like a mother who had just given birth....months of dread and worry, nearly 23 hours of labor...and in an instant the finished product...a devil spawn..I mean precious angel.

Well that is it for my adventure with Mr. History Paper.
things I learned:

1. I am really, really glad I didn't live in the 1840's.
2. Hospitals were filthy, overcrowded, understaffed, and usually crawling with medical students...wait today Hospitals aren't as filthy, but are still overcrowded, under staffed, and crawling with medical students.
3. I'm glad the guy cutting me open with a knife has gone through years of college and lab work and is not apprenticed like they were before 1858.
4. Apparently they thought mercury, opium and turpentine were good for you....pass the heroin please.
5.Somehow I don't think sumerging a burn victim in hot water is going to cure shock.
6. Robert Liston could have taken a side gig as an action hero..he put his knife between his teeth as he worked the bone saw during amputations.
7.Mrs. Beeton's cure for the common cold sounds like it would be a good party cocktail...
8.I have a new profound respect for the Victorian house wife...if she really wanted to kill her spouse she didn't need an ax, the medicine cabinet could have done the job 10 times over.
9. I never noticed the subtle nutty taste of maxwell house before I lived off it for 3 days straight.
10.These guys must have been the precusors to modern athletes because I have never read about people so concerned about their diet.

ahh so that's it I can unwind...oh shit I've got two more pages of an anthropology paper...2 pages..that ain't shit...I just hope the file didn't courrpt itself.

The Slumping Student in the corner
R.D.