presentation... nearly there...

I really wanted to have this presentation done by last Monday but am still doing it!

I have managed to get the first draft done, it says pretty much what I want it to, by copying and pasting mostly from my paper... but it is waaaay too long! The paper is 5,000 words, and the presentation cannot be more than 1,500 or it is over 10 minutes! I really need to pare it back, which, admittedly is easier than adding to it or writing it in the first place. Then I need to make sure it says what I want to say eloquently and simply but with a decent punch. Then, it should be done. So, realistically, I am not expecting to totally finish it until tomorrow evening. Which is annoying! But incredibly necessary, I can get another day back for the chapter I want to be working on now by working on a weekend, but need all the time I can get to prepare the presentation: is a week on Saturday! Am not nervous any more, am kind of up for it. I would not want to have to write the paper or prepare this again though, no wonder I was nervous, but now I am much more in control, I am nearly there! The rewards of a) having done it b) having finished the last horrid piece of work before maternity leave and c) going away for a few days the week afterwards *almost* make it worth doing ;0)

Irritatingly, before I can get this chapter totally out of the way though I do need to relate it more obviously to my PhD which could take a few days. I had better do it now though or by the time I come back to revise it I will have forgotton lots of the points. Gah! It just goes on and on!

Am so tired, but kind of wired from working. Will have a look through it and slope off in half an hour.

x J