Big wheel keep on turning

Writing about my lack of progress will be depressing, so instead, here is a collection of assorted facts about SOSC 318 in general and the first essay in particular which I haven't yet recorded on this blog.

• The essay is due at 4pm on 16 April.
• The length is to be 3,000 words (which usually means 2,700 - 3,300).
• I consider this to be unusually long for a first essay, especially one which requires criticism rather than evaluation.
• The second essay, due on 28 May, is also of length 3,000 words.
• I consider that to be unusually short for a second essay.
• Somehow, the effect of these comparisons is to make the first essay seem a lot harder than it is, and the second a lot easier than it will be.
• Today I couldn't find my photocopy of the publisher's imprint for one of my key reference books, and it was scary (without the publisher's imprint you can't cite the work properly, meaning you effectively can't use it at all). But then it turned up in a different folder, so that was okay.
• Under the pretense of refreshing my memory on the Chicago B referencing system, I just re-read an essay I wrote for my last sociology course back in 2006. By god, it was good. I feel completely inadequate alongside myself.

Today's lecture dealt seriously for the first time with the subject matter of Question 2 of this essay (you may recall we had three questions to choose from). The fat man, who (we can't help but be aware) is doing question 2, got rather worried towards the end of the lecture. He seemed to be surprised at some of the lecture content, and to think that this meant he wouldn't be able to do question 2 after all. It may be cruel of me to find this entertaining, but it does provide some reassurance.

Disorganised as I may be, at least I've done enough reading not to be confused by an introductory lecture on my chosen topic. At least I've written enough essays before to know not to change my topic less than 14 days before the due date. At least I'm not totally clueless about this stuff - and I can string a fairly nice sentence together, too - at least I know I have that on my side.