a good space

I'm currently in a good space. A good space mentally, rather than in a good space in relation to my thesis. Well partly my mental good space has to do with the thesis - well the beginnings of my thesis anyway. I'm busy crafting my methodology chapter and for the first time I can see where I want to take the thesis and what the end result of putting my research into a thesis might look like. For anyone doing any form of qualitative and, especially, ethnographic research the thesis is built on the methodology chapter. It defines and stakes your claim to your research study. Maybe I'll feeling like this because for the first time I can see my voice come through and I can see some sort of concretization of the fieldwork I did last year. I even want to say I'm excited about writing this part of the thesis 'story'. It's freaking challenging and at the moment I can see the gaps in my explanations, especially my theoretical justifications, for the decisions I made. But it's ok. I'm having a good moment and I want to fully experience it.

On the thesis front - things are not looking so bright. I still don't have enough chapters under my belt and this is a constant and pressing concern. I'm ALWAYS thinking about dates, schedules, options. I seem to be constantly 'behind' whatever schedule I create. I have to submit the methodology chapter next Wednesday and I can't see how I'm doing to find the time to do the missing section on validity before then. Of course this will have a knock on effect on my already tight and, may I say, ridiculous work plan. I wanted to have a whole thesis draft ready by the end of August - but I have four months to finish 6 chapters and my writing to date has been slow, slow, slow. But I'm not going to spoil my good and happy space with worries about time constraints. Not at this moment anyway.