Saturday, March 24, 2007

One, Two, Three, Four, PRESSURE!

By April 15/16, I should have finished both

  1. revising the full draft of the dissertation, both chapters 3 and 4, and
  2. revising the textbook
    1. Teacher's Guide for Book 1
    2. Student's Book for Book 2
    3. Script for Book 2
    4. Teacher's Book for Book 2
Plus teaching, parenting, running in circles, screaming and shouting, xylophone, and a partridge in a pear tree.

Can He Do-it?

{Germanic Pause}

'f course!

Heh heh heh!

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Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Fresh Gusts from Recent Drafts

Here at the Carousel of Regress. . .or is it Digress?
I'm trying to work up a fixed version of the last 2 chapters of the good ol' Diss. I am at the point where it's slash and burn. Anything that gives me trouble will eat hot deletekey. But the main trouble, perhaps, is how to make the cuts and still have a reasonably "finished" feeling to the end of the paper. Much of chapter 4 will probably get the axe. But then I'll cut the end of ch 3 and make it the beginning of 4 so it balances betterly.
I've already signed up for the practice presentation and now I'm in the process of signing up for the defense itself--so I'm committed to completing the diss this semester. I sure wish I had more time. I've finished the full draft of the student's book (book 1 only so far) and a full draft of the audioscript too, and now working on the teacher's book for book 1 as well.
Coral complained of a pain in her left ear last night and after some time it was really bad so we went to the hosp to check it out. Turns out she has what Amy and I have both had before: acute otitis media, or, infection of the middle ear. After taking the medicine, she felt much better, though we still need to keep alert for fever, the pain seems to be over. Good news.

I've added my Google students' calendar to my Yuntech page if you love to see calendars.

Also, I found some new stuff on one of the family heroes, Paul Frees, such as a radio version of "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell (it's fawningly faithful to the short story version) with him as Sanger Rainsford, and a story of how Paul did the voice of "Josephine" in Some Like It Hot; I also found a movie with him and Sinatra online: Suddenly.
Well, I feel better now.
Put ze candle BECK!

CJO

PS, Kudos to the B-Movie Graveyard for their great writeup and mediafest of The Thing From Another World!

Friday, March 16, 2007

Hard a-Port, Mr. Feetlebaum!

I had a meeting with my advisor yesterday at NSYSU about both of the new chapters--3 and 4. He mostly liked 3, aside from some sections that went into too much detail--which I fully expected!--and some stylistic stuff: I am, in drafts at LEAST, too self-indulgent with puns and archaisms, and playful assonance, xylophone, and similes . He liked chapter 4 less, and felt it was too different from the other 3 chapters, and also had some ideas which I appreciated for how to make the material more suitable for the revised draft. Since I have a 50% overage (see The Ice Limit) in the pages department, the best thing for the time limits in place here might often be just to kill anything that doesn't work, but some reworking really needs to be done for the 4th chapter anyhow, as some of it is just not helpful. Well, all right. . .but time is truly of the essence these days.
Speaking of deadlines, I'm supposed to send Thomson the finished first full draft of Book 1 today--another ~4.5 chapters to finish before close of business today, so let's get this party ended!
If you're a "lurker" here, please feel threatened into commenting sometimes. . .I am just starving for attention and forward march.
Thanks and so long for all the fish.
CJO

Friday, March 9, 2007

We'll have our happy ending now, / Takin' a chance on rutabagas


Hi-dee-hi-dee-hi! Ho-dee-ho-dee-ho!
can you feel a draft?
Yes, I can. . .it's 250 pages long!

Still stoked about having finished the draft.

Here's one from Buck Privates:

Draftee?
Yes!
Well, why don't you put your coat on?

And from EC:

What's so funny 'bout peace, love, and understanding?

PS. The cake WAS good!

I made it! I made it!! Hurray!!! --Part I

the
full
draft
is
COMPLETE!!
I finished the draft this afternoon, and then compiled all the dissertation's 'plateaued' chapters into a single file that looks real keen with separate chapter headers and all, and a great table of contentment.
Then I sent the full draft of Chapter 4 to my advisor, and the slightly changed Ch. 2 to the members of the reading committee (I've followed Dad's advice and switched to one space after periods, instead of two!).

Also, today is the celebration of Mama Chen's birthday (really it's next week). Lovely cake.
I say, old fellow, do you feel we're listing to port?
Reading "The Ice Limit" lately. . .enjoyable so far.
I still have to finish the two books of the travel text, plus the two teacher's books, with the tapescripts in between. I will be recording the scripts in Taipei with I don't know who else. Plan to send the full draft of Book 1 tonight or tomorrow morning, for the student book. Still waiting for comments on the first six chapters.
Kind of pooped.


I walked out of there eight years later. And by God, I was rich!



--ARTHUR MILLER, Death of a Salesman
Well, TTFN. Take care, young'uns.

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Darn the Mosquitoes. Full Speed Ahead!

Well, it's a week and a day before I'm scheduled to meet with my advisor on the last two chapters of my dissertation, so I really have got to finish Chapter 4 today or at least tomorrow so he has time to read it before the meeting. Wish me luck!!
If I can concentrate, it is possible.
Another school week is over, thank goodness. LONG days and short nights of sleep, but over in two days.
Well, I'd better get to it!
ALMOST DONE with this first full draft. . . .

Friday, March 2, 2007

Time's a-wastin'!

Like, whoah!
I should finish Chapter 4 by next Thursday so I can send it out to my advisor at least a week before our meeting on the 15th. And the first book of the Tourism text should be finished and sent by the 10th! So why can't I get anything done, dude? Frequent interruptions continue, and I'm having trouble focusing. That's life!
Learning a lot about the digital lifestyle recently, though, and starting to live one, so that's not a total loss. But I've gotta snap out of it and get back to work.
And every day, classes!! Somehow I wonder if that's wise. . .

Hernf. Well, anyway. . .
Very tired, nevertheless. Gotta get a good sleep tonight. Maybe not very able to chat tomorrow with the dearies over the water.
How about a band named Pandora's Boxers?
Just a random thought.
How come my students have so many difficulties with following my directions, anyway? Just curious. . .the writing students are all using English language weblogs for their online journals, running counter to my specific request, and a great many are not giving themselves the right sort of nickname on the Google Group, so they have to re-subscribe. English majors? Not so's you'd notice.
Well, get back to work, I mentally yammer at myself.
Tricks, I say, like that mirage off the port bow. Say, is that a knife you and I see in front of each other?
Sorry, turn off the mangled quotifier. Gotta . . . well, you know.
"Knife," the Mac, just informed me that "It's six o'clock."
TTFN!
CJO

Age of Discovery = Era of Regret

I can't get started! Grandma had me sawing wood and constructing beds yesterday so she can lurk in my writing room sometimes, for the purpose of leaping out whenever our new construction neighbors happen to try nailing stuff (mostly nails) into our wall outside. . .the room has a sort of porch from where she can shout vociferous complaints. Shattered my concentration all day!
Well, that's largely my fault too. The Internet is too darn interesting. I fluffed out my Google personal homepage, and went everywhere from that. Painfully, Wil Wheaton's musical taste is far too similar to mine for comfort. I started a Pandora account for similar reasons. Gosh! Must get back to my Disseration before the thrill is gone.
Now Eowyn has come by to see the fish screensaver and play, which is good BUT. . . Gotta finish about three books in two weeks!
Well, I am trying to post this by emailing my blog. Don't know if it will work, but if you don't see this post, email me!
Chris

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Textbooks ycumin In Droves

Hi, I've spent the first two days of the week on teaching stuff. . .setting up my Google Group for students, collecting exciting information, that stuff. . .
But yesterday I got going again on the Travel/Hospitality textbook (the first of two) and today sent off the first six chapters (out of 16 for this book) for their condemnation. . .I mean, consideration.
Today I hope to get the conclusion of the dissertation done. If I get stuck again, I'll switch back to textbooks.
Listened to Zappa's orchestral work yesterday. Perfect Stranger, LSO. Also Jazz from Hell and Ruben & the Jets. Mixed feelings about that.
If you know the song where Frank is sort of sprechstimming about "Albuquerque, New Mexico" please comment and tell me the song's name and what album it's on. . .
(very little hope of that)
More on Zappa to come.
Wish me luck!
Also, our new teacher's working out quite well! :-)
CJO