MacSpeech Scribe - Is this the answer to my prayers?

My dissertation went on hold for a little bit during the wedding, but the transcription of my interviews has also slowed the process down substantially. I originally planned to transcribe myself. The first interview took three hours and it is still not done. Then I decided I would pat someone to transcribe, but that gets messy and I have been waiting to see what we can do. Finally, I purchased this software thinking it would do most of it and I would just have to go through and make corrections. WRONG!!!! This software actually has slowed me down and I finally boxed it up and sent it back today. So now I am....... Back to transcribing. I am just going to do it because I have already lost precious time. unless you want to do that for me, **wink**. On another note, I have a meeting with my advisor tomorrow. Please pray that I will walk out of the meeting with a better sense of what is going and what I need to be doing. Well, that is all for now. I must prepare for my meeting.

Running in Circles... For What?

Yesterday I woke up with a to do list in my head and went barreling full speed to clean our house, wash clothes, cook, make a dessert, shampoo our carpet, complete things for work, and work on my dissertation. Then all of a sudden, I noticed my mood take a plunge drive and I began to feel this strange sense of dread. Luckily, I can talk to J about these kinds of things and he is usually my voice of reason. He helped me to think about the unnecessary timelines and deadlines I place on myself that force me to feel out of control. The driving force is my dissertation. I want to get it done, the sooner the better. He reminded that additional time on my dissertation, or anything for that matter, is more valuable than working to the point of exhaustion and dread. Today is a new day and I am working on slowing down and enjoying the process, so that I can truly enjoy the finished project. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes…

My 26th Birthday

I had a great day on September 13th when I celebrated my 26th birthday. I received messages and cards from my closest family and friends, I went to House of Japan with my husband (ha, I love saying that word), and then we relaxed and watched football. It was exactly what I needed after such an eventful last few weeks. There was one part that was bitter sweet....

I have always given myself these random goals and I have always had a goal to have a PhD while I am 25. Me turning 26 reminded me that I had not reached that goal. However, the more and more I think about the more I realize that the age is not what is important. Sure, I could have graduated with my PhD before 26, but at what price. I have developed some amazing friendships, done some pretty cool things, and married the man of my dreams. All of that could have been put on hold had I been so focused on the age I receive my PhD. So, I am promising myself that I will continue to work on my dissertation. However, I am not giving anyone else an estimated deadline. I will have my PhD when... I FINISH and you better believe. I will finish. Ok enough of that rant. Happy Birthday to me!

WEDDING BREAK

It's been over a month since I last posted. Instead of my usual dissertation and writing, I was preparing for one of the biggest days of my life... My Wedding. We got married on South Beach in Florida and it was absolutely perfect. The word that keeps coming to mind is "magical." We were so blessed to get a chance to commit ourselves before God, our family, and our friends in such a beautiful setting. I can honestly admit that I did not think about my dissertation one time. So now I guess I will be blogging as a wife in pursuit of my PhD. Right now I am feeling so blessed to have such a wonderful husband. Stay tuned...

15 Interviews

(Photo from http://greatestresellrights.com)

As of today I have 15 interviews. My goal is 20, but I was told that as long as I get to fifteen I am good. So... I'm GOOD. Just in time to get back to work. I'm gonna keep doing them though because I enjoy my topic and the conversation... Must Be Nice. Now time to start transcribing....

Collecting Data & Already Getting Buried.

(Photo from http://www.ldpride.net)

I got IRB approval a week ago and my data collection started almost immediately. Since then I have already completed ten interviews. Some dissertation studies use only five to eight interviews. My goal is 15 to 20 so, I am on my way there. The only thing is... They need to be transcribed. Well, well, well. Who knew it could be sooooo tedious. Yes, I've transcribed interviews before. When you're on a research team, however, or in a class, you only have to transcribe about three to five. Not to mention, these interviews are a lot longer than those thirty minute interviews I did in my qualitative methodology courses. I need a plan and Quick! I have a busy weekend, but I think I am going to plan to do at least one a day. This should get them all done before school starts and I am back to work. The Pressure is ON! If you have any ideas on how to transcribe faster... I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear it. Now, off to do some more transcribing.

FINALLY!!! I have APPROVAL!!!!

(Photo from: http://www.age-dtoperfection.com)

I got up this morning and decided to check my email and I finally had the email that lets me move forward to completing my dissertation. I have finally received IRB approval!!! I am excited, but I also must admit that adding this to my plate along with the wedding planning is a little scary. Oh well, now let's see how far I can get by the wedding.

Surprise: I heard from IRB

(Photo from http://degreedirectory.org)

I was checking my email yesterday when I realized that I had received a email from the IRB stating that modifications were needed. This is good, right? I think so, but we will see. My thought is that once they verify that the modifications are made (which I think can be done in a few hours, ha), they can give me approval. I can say that the timing couldn't have been more perfect. I made all of the revisions and submitted it to my advisor. Luckily, he will be in today and I can get the signed documents from him. Now, some would think that this is not a big deal, but my advisor's schedule is so busy that I consider it a blessing for me to need him on the actual day that he will be in his office. I am getting ready now to track him down and get my signature, wish me luck and keep sending up the prayers. It is helping!

An Early Run

Nothing makes me feel more productive than a run first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, this is what I look like when it is over. LOL. Here is to a productive day.

The Dissertation Cloud is ALWAYS Lurking

This week J and I were in a wedding for a couple that we are both very close too. We spent the weekend participating and helping out with the various wedding festivities and I must say that the wedding was beautiful. Someone even referred to it as magical. For the most part, I was able to stay present and focused while not worrying about my dissertation. However, when I woke up today I was immediately aware of the dissertation cloud that is always lurking. The dissertation cloud is reminding me that there is ALWAYS something to do and encouraging me to get started. Well, here I go...