03 April 2007

Who Can't Use a Vacuum Cleaner?

Okay, I have to link to this contest, because I want to win a Dyson vacuum cleaner. Who wouldn't? In fact - you know you want one too, don't you? Like me, perhaps, you've wondered all your life why vacuum cleaners don't work very well. Or whatever happened to the old Rainbow vacuum from the early 80s, that trapped dust in water and worked quite well indeed (but weighed a ton and had a bazillion parts). Actually, my parents' Rainbow is still working. Miraculously. Heroically. But, it's in Michigan and I'm in New York, and there's a lot of dust in New York.

Enough said. And yes, I know my prose style has deteriorated. It's very sad. But at least the sentences are getting shorter. Always a silver lining.

Anyway, I'm really here to say thank you - to all the wonderful commenters who came sending encouragement and good thoughts my way! I wish I could respond to every one (actually, the temptation to procrastinate by this means is overwhelming - I can't tell you how painful it is when the urge to procrastinate gets ever stronger and you can't give in. The moral of the story? A little procrastination is good for the soul, and dissertation-writing is soul-deadening. You can also see what it's done for my reasoning faculties, yes?) but I can at least say here - THANK YOU!! It really means SO much to me to hear that little ping from the mail window in the background and go see some lovely little piece of encouragment, wisdom, and generosity directed right at me. It's incredible. I swear, if I get through this, it will be due in large part to you guys!!


PS - obligatory knitting content: while rummaging in "my" office at my temp job for forks, I found...a basket full of knitting. Stuffed in a corner, on top of a file cabinet. Have no idea if the person I'm temporarily replacing is a closet knitter, but must definitely ask when she gets back...

And, yes, I was strongly tempted to add a few rows. Restrained myself, though, as the professors and students and speakers and VIPs who are constantly popping in unexpectedly might wonder why I'm not frantically finishing whatever it is they asked me to do...

8 comments:

miss ewe said...

Finding a little surprise basket of knitting must be sort of soul-resuscitating, mustn't it?

Hang in there... you're almost there. And it's amazing you're still coherent -- don't worry about your blog-prose style.

Dame Wendy said...

I think knitters are drawn to knitting like those metal detectors old men would use at the beach to find lost jewelry. Beep.....beep....beep..beep.beep beepbeepbeepbeep knitting! :)

You know, one of the first things I noticed when we moved to NYC? Dust bunnies are more like dust monsters here. It's really crazy how fast it accumulates.

You're a rock star and you're going to get through your dissertation. Someday it will be a story you can tell with fondness...or we'll go out and get drunk while reminiscing over the horror these times were. Either way, total rock star. :P

LadyLungDoc said...

Pop a nice skein of yarn into the basket - you can never have too much good karma!

Marianne said...

Good luck on winning the Dyson.
I know where the (dust) buffalo roam...under my bed, obviously breeding them, a whole herd every week. We only have one good sized wool rug, the rest are toss in the washer type.
Could you tell what the knitting project was? what, no photo?

Hang in there, hold on tight, Kate, it won't be long until you can let loose with some wild abandon! (in whatever form you desire).

Susan said...

[snicker, snicker] I have to admit I was thinking along the same lines - pick up knitting with a sigh of relief (like any other addict who is supposedly in 'recovery' coming across a hidden stash that escaped the purging!) and knitting a few stitches.

But then my yarn snob brain kicked in "hmmmmmmmmm...........what was the project? Was it GOOD yarn, or was it some nasty baby-shade of sticky crunchy squeaky acrylic?"

(I'm such a snob!!!!!!!!!!)

Elinor said...

Oooh, stealth knitting! Too tempting! Just to see if the knitter would notice too.

Anonymous said...

Only one category to describe dissertations, and it contains only two members: finished, and not finished. You'll note these do not relate to quality, to prose style, nor to "I need one more reference".
Like knitting, you only do a dissertation a word at a time; then a sentence, like a row; a paragraph, like a section; a chapter, like a sleeve...you go!

simitio said...

This was grreat to read