Assignment 1

It's been a long time between essays for me, 11 years since I finished my Graduate Diploma of Education, and university has changed a great deal in that time.  And to be honest, I've changed.  As I get older, near enough is no longer good enough, and I look back on my post school university experience, which is even further away, a good 20 years in fact, and I am no longer that person.  I was so much lazier then, and my brain didn't seem as stretchy as it is now.  There is no way I could have completed a Bachelor of Arts and had the responsibility of running (or perhaps co-piloting would be more accurate, as a work from home husband has certainly changed the way our home life functions) a household of 6 people, and ensuring that all their different needs are met.  I wish my organisational side had developed a bit more, sometimes it seems like I am drowning, in paper, in dust, in laundry. 

The first essay for 401 has been challenging.  It was quite a complex task, comparing the two different authors, and at first it felt like I was trying to compare apples and turnips, they were so dissimilar.  In the beginning, I felt that Purcell had the upper hand.  All those neat headings.  But reading, and rereading the Herring chapter, (and rerereading, and again), I discovered that I really liked what he had to say.  Not in a "I have to like it, because I know he lectures on this subject, and I'm probably going to run across him over the next two or three or four years", but a genuine respect for his ideas.  Although a few headings wouldn't have gone astray. 

I have been consumed by the essay writing process.  And the next essay I write, I will be more organised as far as referencing goes.  In my defence, I was organised.  And I had all the articles neatly stashed in a folder on my desktop labelled 401 assignment 1.  I had loads of notes, and quotes ready to use.  I had the names of the articles, page numbers, dates.  Everything.  Almost.  I overlooked the whole "include a URL if you accessed it online".  Sigh.  It took hours to re-find all those articles.  Hours and tears of frustration.  Fortunately, I'm blessed with a loving family, and a dear patient friend, who sat with me, searching for articles, making me cups of tea and building me up when I despaired.  And I did find them all in the end.  The worst part of the process was seeing all the promising looking articles I could have used, but missed the first time round.  And knowing that I was already far too far over the word limit to even seriously consider trying to pack more into that miniscule word limit.


Last night I finally bit the bullet, and had a serious look at reducing the word count.  I was at 2377, too far over the 10% grace that is allowed.  I had to lose 177 words.  And I did.  Not one word more than that though.  My word count sits right at 2200 words.  I cannot possibly sacrifice even one more word.  I'll never be a write of short stories, it just isn't in me. 

So I thought that today, as well as trying to catch up and make a good start on Topic 4, I'd also resurrect this poor neglected blog.  I'll try to put a serious post up tomorrow about all the reading I've done today.  Reading I've enjoyed.  My brain is so limber now, and I am getting the "totally engaged and focussed" feeling that I like so much.  Onwards.