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I knew that my first day in Spain would be Saturday. I bought the tickets months ago and have not looked at them since. I thought I left Saturday morning. Last night my baby brother called for packing advice, and said it was less than two days now.
What?
I leave tomorrow!! At noon!! I have to write a research proposal before I leave for which I have settled on a topic and done nothing else! Plus finish two projects at work, and go shopping and pack for the trip, and finish the movie DVD so it can be shown at the ward activity on Friday night.
Wait, that's not that bad of a list. Work will be fine - I can finish this morning. I can go in for a few hours tomorrow morning, so I can take off early this afternoon and go to school for an appointment with the librarian to see if she can give me the words to orient my wand towards the correct journal articles. If I can get the major part of work done today and make an appointment this morning for this afternoon, I can spend all evening at school and then all night writing the paper. I'll do the shopping on the way to school and pack after I e-mail the paper in. That way I'll be exhausted Friday, but that's okay because that way I'll sleep on the plane and be nice and refreshed for Saturday morning.
I know there are somethings I need to do here - I am not sure exactly where Steve and I are staying in Paris, and I need to talk to Choobak about where to meet him. There should be cafés everywhere so I'll have access to e-mail while in Spain, so that's fine. Fortunately, I did laundry over the weekend, so I don't have to wash clothes before I pack.
Oh yeah, this is totally doable. Now I'll just cross my fingers that I can make an appointment with librarian, and everything's fine.
posted
I miss living in Spain, you'll love it Although, I can't imagine a trip would be good motivation to get things done, but this time I'd already be there in my mind. Good luck nonetheless!
Posts: 3243 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Everything is going to be okay. One of two mini-projects for work is finished, and my boss was so pleased he actually cut through some red tape and my trip to NYC in October is approved, so that's nice. I have printed out and copied everything I was supposed to, and Steven and I have a place to stay when we get to Madrid. Best of all, the dollar has risen against the Euro so the whole trip is going to be cheaper than I thought it was going to be two months ago. Yay!
The movie DVD I have almost given up on - no one is answering their phones. I have given the relevant people each other's phone numbers, and hopefully they will work it out.
All I have left today is proofread and finalize a 200 page book, go shopping for travel pants, a hat, and some comfortable shoes, and research and write a five page paper. My list of things to do today has been decimated several times over. yay!
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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I'll meet you next Friday evening, ok? Choobak will know the details - but I expect you to meet me at the railway station!
Posts: 5700 | Registered: Feb 2002
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I can't believe I got the day wrong. I bought the ticket so long ago, and I haven't looked at it because thinking about the trip was supposed to come after other things. At least I found out last night - I just had this vision of me happily going to work tomorrow morning and deciding to double check the time, and discovering I needed to be at the airport in an hour. That's actually much more me - Steven is turning out to be a very usefull traveling companion. I'll bet we get to the airport on time for the trip home as well.
I'm at the library right now, about to start research. *grin* I love libraries - it's been so long since I've done research in one. I'd forgotten how happy it is. It's so peaceful.
I went shopping already and found some really fabulous pink, brown, and green plaid pajama pants to take. Plus, a book of crossword puzzles, a map of Madrid, and a Steve Saylor book (recomended by Uncle Orson. I hope it's good.)
*happy* Everything's fine. Except I haven't started research yet, but the library is still open for hours and the reference desk has been prepared for my coming.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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Yeah. Even though DFW is wonderful when it comes to getting through security, you still need to check in on time, okay? But I'm sure your brother will help with that. Is he picking you up or what?
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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The flight leaves at 12:45 and I will be dropped at the airport at 10:00. I will have oodles of time. Provided I'm not still typing the paper, which is looking faintly possible.
Nono, it will be good. I'd love to not check baggage, but I'm imagining some frowns for stuffing my lovely backpack. Wearing the glasses and taking the contacts, so I can sleep on the plane. Taking protein cookies with me, plus one of those security belt carrier thingys. Have sent Steve the information about where we are staying the first night, so if he gets lost in the airport and misses meeting me we can both somehow proceed to the hostel. He speaks Spanish - he'll be fine.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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Oh, goodness. Yes, that's plenty of time, but stay up tonight over leaving the paper until tomorrow!
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I don't usually do this anymore. After years of last minute paper deadlines, I have either gotten better at following the sensible plan or else moved the deadlines. Probably the second; one thing I love about the Boy Scouts is their attitude towards deadlines. If it isn't finished by the release date, clearly they did not give us enough time. They're sorry - when did I think I could have it done? Have I mentioned I really love some aspects of my job? I just have to turn off the efficiency part of my brain that whimpers in pain every time that happens.
But tonight, I need to write a paper. I'm not waiting until the last second - it's not due until Tuesday. I only found out about it the day before yesterday, so to my credit, I have not been procrastinating. The plan was to do the research today and write the paper tomorrow, but as the above posts indicate, this plan had a major, major flaw. Namely, there is no tomorrow.
The research has been scanned, and I have twenty-three possible resources. I even own one of the books already, which amuses me to no end. I don't know how to write a research proposal, but I got a copy of the book my professor said would tell me.
I have fortified my cubicle (no computer at home, and especially no internet. I have NO self control.) with diet Mountain Dew, some lemon-flavored water, donut holes, and a dubious bbq chicken dinner. You heat the bbq sauce and the chicken separately, then spread it on top. *shudder* I feel like I should be doing penance to some Texan demigod to cleanse myself.
But really, this is all according to clever master plan. I leave Dallas tomorrow at noon, but arrive in Madrid Saturday morning. Due to the hour change, I was looking at a seriously problematic case of jet lag. All of Saturday would be almost lost since I'd want to be sleeping. This way, I will not sleep tonight, and I can sleep on the plane and arrive in Madrid bouncing and happy and fully-rested, if slightly nauseated by the donut holes. *eyes package doubtfully*
You may be asking yourself "Why is Katie posting on Hatrack instead of working?" Excellent question. It is because my tv dinner is heating, and I would just hate to submerse myself in a theory and planning, only to be pulled away by the temporal pangs of my stomach and the villanious tempations of a nuked potato crumble. In fact, I think I hear the beep now.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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Oh man, I wonder if I can fit in your luggage. Spain is one of my major stops on my dream trip. I want to start in Portugal and the Straits of Gibraltar and just make a run of the Mediterranean and come around to some spots in Norther Africa. (I said it was a dream.) That and head over to New Zealand.
Have a safe and fun trip. And yes, what Raia said. Lots and lots of pictures.
Posts: 822 | Registered: Jul 2001
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I'm right there with you - I'm staying up till the wee hours to figure out a lesson plan for tomorrow. The sad thing is, it's only the third week of classes, and I'm already falling way behind. Unfortunately, I can't blame this on anyone but me...I'm addicted to procrastinating!
But have a wonderful time in Spain!! My nephew's spending this semester in Madrid, too. (He's only 5 years younger than me, and is thus in college now.) I'm intensely jealous of you both! Posts: 952 | Registered: Jun 2005
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I now have an outline for the paper, and am writing up the bibliography. I'm avoiding this so desperately because I clearly have no idea what I'm doing. The book that was supposed to tell me how to write this was a total wash, but Google, my champion, came through for me.
I'm not too worried about this because (1)I have a thousand sources, and since this is a proposal, a thousand seems about right - I'll glean later, and (2) my professor has a policy that if you don't get an A on the paper, you can rewrite it. Since I didn't have a chance to e-mail her with questions because the timeline is so fast, I'm not worried too much about the impression. It's okay that I don't know what I'm doing at the beginning. I just need to know what I'm doing towards the end.
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I, unfortunately, am still up as well. This lesson plan thing would be a lot easier if I were actually a teacher! But alas, I'm just a clueless grad student.
Posts: 952 | Registered: Jun 2005
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I'm almost done with the bibliography, and as soon as I decide between a clear but simple writing style and a more academic style, I can write the content.
Kama, I'm not getting sleepy, which worries me slightly. I think it was the Diet Mt. Dew and really appalling number of donut holes. I got off of caffeine this spring and I almost never eat sugar anymore, so between the two of them, I am considering simply not attempting to sleep tonight.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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Uh, oh, Katie, don't crash before you make it to the airport! When I was pregnant, I went 9 months without any caffiene. Then I didn't drink more than one Dr. Pepper until one night almost 9 months later when I had missed sleep the night before and had to sing that night. That evening at our early dinner (in fact, you were there) I had 3 Dr. Peppers, and I was all hyped up-- until 15 minutes before the end of the program, when I almost fell asleep standing up in the middle of a number!
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Does anyone know how long it lasts? I bought a four pack of the pop, and if I can time it so I crash exactly thirty minutes after takeoff...
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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Actually I don't think losing one night of sleep is that much of a problem. I'm doing it on a regular basis when I have a long journey ahead of me, and then I'm able to sleep on the road / plane / whatever. Makes time fly faster. Posts: 4519 | Registered: Sep 2003
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I hope that's how it works. I'm robustly healthy as long as I get enough sleep and exercise, and when I don't, I get sick like clockwork. I'm a little bit worried, but will make sure I get enough sleep.
The bibliography is all done. Now where's the link to that game from the other day? Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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Although, I can't imagine a trip would be good motivation to get things done, but this time I'd already be there in my mind. Good luck nonetheless!
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kat, you're amazing!![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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Unfortunately, I can't blame this on anyone but me...I'm addicted to procrastinating!![[Grumble]](graemlins/grumble.gif)
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