Camping...my email

So I finished my last Chapter and sent it to my chair with the previous 3 for editing completion. Except...that was 3 days ago. So here I am, compulsively checking my email every 15-20 minutes. Sooner I get the edits back, the sooner I can edit, then I can schedule a oral defense before the semester end in 2 weeks...

My solution? Send an email that addresses another issue, unrelated to my Chapter 4 in hopes that:

1) He will feel compelled to mention his review progress

2) He will finish the review faster

Let's see how that works out for me...

Is that a light I see?

Maybe...Probably...Inevitably.

In what is likely to be a "Hail Mary" of my academic career I finally finished Chapter 3...again. Someone didn't like the first version so I got emo about it through the summer then dusted myself off and wrote a better one! My chair finally loved it and green-lighted me for the last chapter. So all I have left is that plus some changes in tense on the previous chapters and a short paragraph on reflexivity and I am good to go! Ironically reflexivity is actually me writing this on my blog...about my dissertation. I digress. Wish me luck internet type people for I shall attack that chapter most vigorously!...As soon as I get off this blog...and onto my other laptop...

The end of a rough week

It has been a tough week for me...and I really hate being right in these types of cases.

I spent the greater part of the week scrambling to get my chapter 3 done, I even took off 2 days to do it, not sure how I am gonna pay my bills this month but I felt I would regret it if I didn't try.

I finished Friday and sent my total 113 pages to my chair for review, then he emailed me and asked for tables...

Today should be good but its not...

So I had my proposal meeting today and unconditionally passed. Which means I don't have to make a whole lot of changes and I am green lighted to go ahead with the rest of the dissertation. Great news right? Should be, but it instead I just feel bad. It's like one of those times you get good news but you feel like there is a huge "BUT..." following it.

Progress....I hope

So the dissertation continues, and I finally set a proposal meeting for March 21st. A week later then I had hoped because someone on my committee has to go get their freak on in Vegas for some bachelor party fun....

So anyway I am looking at this weekend to finish up my Chapter 3 and next week start on Chapter 4. Then I have to assemble a power point presentation for my meeting. I am thinking of using some colorful online gaming media to spice it up a bit, but I haven't settled on what to use just yet. I am thinking a short clip of South Parks WoW video to depict media stereotypes on gamers. Any other ideas?

Into the swing of things

I am currently in full dissertation mode, trying to finish up by the end of the semester. I decided it was time to wrap things up, barring any unforeseen circumstances. The casualty of my dissertation is of course my online gaming. Also, it seemed a bit too ironic to be working on a dissertation involving problematic online gaming while I was online gaming....


Currently my finished proposal draft is being held hostage by my committee chair until this Tuesday when he either gives me feedback or gives me the ok for the official meeting. Crossing my fingers for the latter of course. We are on a time crunch here people, and I have an addictive personality! Don't leave me too long or else I will find something else to do.

Taking a break on blogging for the week

Due to deadlines and of course my own procrastination, I am taking the week off gaming, blogging, and hopefully other forms of procrastination to put a serious dent in my first chapter.

If all goes well I will be back to post more adventures and thoughts when I return.

Structural Leadership styles in guilds

     Over my many years of experience in MMORPG's I have seen many guilds and many types of leadership and guild structures. However, as I am approaching the actual writing proposal of my dissertation I am noticing more and more patterns of interaction in a game that mirrors real life. After all we are real people behind these characters, with real pasts and real experiences that contribute to our online persona's. I see an online game as a system within the system of life. The game is not made of individuals nor are we free of the constraints of our own contextual interactions within this greater system. We are more then just the sum of our parts.