Another week! Come back!

Oh my, time is going by too fast!

I didn't post yesterday, it was such a bad day. I was all of a dither and a blather and got nothing done. Today, however, I have written certainly the first draft of the presentation if not the final edit. It is 10 minutes, well, just under (by 30 seconds) and so I hope with some practising and a bit of conjugating it shall be a-ok. I don't know if it hits the mark yet, I have had to cut soooo much out - entire arguments and angles - that I hope it still makes a point! I will test it out on DB probably on Monday afternoon, just to check it makes any sense though I doubt he will get it so will criticise it for all the wrong reasons and I will be blue.

Writing a short presentation for a conference:
* Remember this is more to showcase your idea, the proper ideas are in your paper, you don't want to explain every tangent and argument in thick description.
* If you are new, state at the beginning that this is a working idea, part of your PhD and you would welcome comments. This makes the audience more friendly and less of a baying mob, you are working together, you see (you hope!). Briefly (so briefly) outline what your PhD is about to give the presentation context.
* Don't put in quotes, they take too long to read out so paraphrase. If quite a few people are saying something similar, lump them together and then say what they have generally been saying - you will be more specific in your accompanying paper.
* Have about three main points. Your intro should be to the point 'I am saying this, this and this...' and the conclusion is literally to round it up in a sentence.
* It takes about 3 mins to speak 500 words. Is not much when you are talking about a 7,000 word paper! You will have to cut it down to about 1,500 words for a ten minute presentation !
* Try and feed in some of your own findings if you can. This will make your findings more specific and less open to criticism. I haven't though.

Is all I can think of for now, main points anyway. By now we have done a few presentations in our time!

Got an email from my Sup today asking if I wanted to do a lecture for an MA group on the 14 Dec... by 'wanted to do' I am assuming, maybe unfairly, that he means 'will do'. I will be 38 weeks pregnant though, or with a very new baby! I don't know really, it needn't be hard (is on 'humanitarianism' - a very broad topic am sure I can get something out of - is great for the ol' CV and could only be a couple of hours. However, I will be 38 weeks pregnant, is again compromising the promise I made to myself (and that I have been holding to my chest with glee) that I will make this presentation next week my last major work commitment and making me most unhappy. I don't want to play :0( I will stress about it as much as, if not more than, the conference (this is 10 minutes, a whole lecture is a big deal! Especially with smartarse MA students! ;0)) and this can affect Beanie and make him sad. I can't do it, I really can't. Maybe I can do it next year.

I emailed my RA earlier to kick his arse about not doing his translations for me. I even threatened to come to India and do more research! Put the guilt on him saying that I have the presentation next week and can't use anything we worked on in India... I want to start writing up my fieldwork next week. Am sick to death of thinking and worrying about it, I am even dreaming about it! Every night, honestly, it is such a weight on my mind. I *need* the interviews translated or they are worthless! And I have paid him already. UG I am so annoyed.

Have a whole day of antenatal classes tomorrow! Am actually looking forward to it, we went last night and it was good. Shame no Saturday lie in but will have a nice day on Sunday doing nothing. Will have to practice this presentation though. Am so bored of it but at least it is starting to take shape in my mind, which is the first step to learning it. I will take the sheet in, I won't do it all from memory or even from memory cards but kind of read it animatedly I think.

Have good weekends all! Am going to print my presentation off, read through it a couple of times and edit if needs be, then jump in the bath and start my weekend. I have the new Audrey Niffinegger book which I have been saving. And am going to chat to my little bubs, I miss him when I have been working hard!

x J