It's in the details

I spent a lot of time this last week writing. But unexpectedly also a lot of time formating. I started putting together the document that will eventually be my dissertation. Just figuring out how to get Microsoft word to switch back and forth between different types of page numbers took awhile to figure out (it's ALL about the section breaks). UC Berkeley's dissertation specifications are VERY detailed. We have been informed that someone will actually take out a ruler and make sure that our margins meet the required guidelines and that each and every page will be inspected for the correct page number. For example the margins are all 1" except for the left maring with is 1.5" and the page number has to be 3/4" from the edge of the paper, different from the .5" default setting. I consider myself pretty knowledgable on office software, but finding out how to change all these little things takes awhile. And the margins, spacing, page numbering - that's just the beginning. There's a whole bunch of other issues I haven't even got to yet. For example, you have to print your dissertation on archival paper, they give a very specific list of 5 "approved" archival paper brands to choose from. You can print your disseration out on a laser jet printer but not an inkjet printer (fades over time apparently). And then there's decisions like whether or not to pay to have your thesis copyrighted or not. Anyway, you get the idea, it's a pain.

I now have a solid rough draft of my first paper done. My PI and I are now sending it back and forth, trying to get it polished. It's a little frustrating because the lag time between drafts can get a little long. Steve is currently co-writing 2 other papers right now in addition to mine, so it can be hard to get his attention. But we are making progress and there is alway something for me to work on while I'm waiting. I'm still trying to get some pictures for the figures, hopefully I'll be able to get them all done by next week. But it's getting close and that's good. After that I have one other small paper that needs to be finished up and sent out for publication as well.

Both of these papers should be able to basically be cut and pasted into my dissertation and will serve as the two major chapters. I'm thinking my dissertation will probably have 4 chapters total: General Introduction, Insitu Screen Results, Derailed Analysis and Pvr Analysis. Which means after I get my papers written I really only have to write the first two chapters, and I actually wrote up the screen in my qualifying exam proposal, so I already have some of that text to work with.

So that's where things are with me, how are you?