So, remind me what weekends are like?

Lately I've been writing, writing, writing. I just realized in the last three weeks I've written three chapters, adding up to 88 pages! Yikes! No wonder I'm tired.

This weekend while I'm huddled up with the computer at my desk, the kids and Dave are downstairs cleaning out the basement. We have company coming, so we've moved up the annual spring cleaning by about three months. I must add that I am using the 'Royal We', as moi (to  quote Miss Piggy) is not lifting a finger. Other than to continue to type madly.

Periodically I hear crashes and muffled yells. And sometimes the odd remark, as things are carried out to the pickup for loading for the dump.

My favourite so far is Chloe's lament, "How did we get so much crap!"

To make up for having nothing interesting to write about, other than my thesis which would bore anyone to tears, I've decided to take you on a tour of my narrow little world...i.e. the desk of a PhD student.


Starting from the far left we have the most dedicated laser printer you will ever find. Having a house full of students (count 'em 6!), being able to print and not worrying about running out of ink is a real necessity.

In front of the printer is my usb cable to connect the digital camera to the computer to upload the picture you're looking at. It has a label on it that says Olympus which is not the brand of camera I have, it's a little one Dave uses. But, somehow I lost mine in the move to this house. However, it still works.

Among the random pile of stuff to the right of the printer is my glasses case. My reading glasses I mean. Yep, I have to have two pairs of glasses not just one. It's very funny when the kids come up to ask me a question. Drag off the reading glasses and pop on the regular glasses, and try to be unobtrusive while doing so. Did I mention that none of the kids need glasses? It's very strange.

In the middle of the pencil "bucket" (I'm sure there is an appropriate stationery term for it, but it escapes me at the moment) is a flower Bryn made me for mother's day, my very first. There's also a pair of scissors there that I have to guard with my life because they develop feet if you don't watch them closely.

Next to the pencil thingy is a glass, that if I were a good person would be filled with water. Alas its usually holding diet Coke or lemonade (Seven-up). The glass is sitting on a coaster turned upside down.

This is a very Australian kind of advertisement. As everyone knows, bull is not true, therefore the reason for the ad. In very small print at the bottom it says "there's bull, and John Bull".  Its the slogan for a line of work boots.

And finally there is the computer. I spend more time with it lately than I do humans. Sigh.

To the right of the monitor is a faithful notepad that bears the brunt of my scribbles and ideas. The latest thing its had today is the horrible realization that I had that even without a discussion and conclusions chapter, I've written over 200 pages.

Hopefully some of it will be worth reading!