Current things.

a. iPad, upon which I have too many books & articles to read. I try to read article/book-type things on there exclusively so I don’t clutter up my desktop and get distracted by going on unnecessary research journeys (it’s much more cumbersome on a tablet than a desktop) but it doesn’t really work out that way.

b. Lamp. The front half of my house (which includes all the bedrooms, one of the bathrooms, and the kitchen) currently has no lights, so I’m relying on lamps. There’s a standing lamp off to the right of me too, and it’s bloody hot and bloody annoying but the alternative is sitting in near-darkness, and that’s just too depressing. (The RE agent said they’d send out an electrician on Wednesday. They did not.)

c. Thesis. I’m using Scrivener, and it’s amazing.

d. Wikipedia. Do not even begin to judge. I’ve found myself needing to include a few bits & pieces about capitalism and globalisation in this chapter I’m almost-done editing. I’m not ashamed to admit that at this point – 12 years into a university education – I still turn to Wikipedia every single time that I need an overview of a concept. It’s never the last place I look, but almost always the first. Sue me.

e. Notepad for remembering Important Things. (Almost everything written on here ends up being forgotten about/written over/lost/never actioned.)

f. Mug. I am getting so sick of coffee.

g. Gel eyedrops. When I bought these, in a 30 pack or something, I thought I’d never, ever, ever reach the end of the box. There are three tubes left.

h. Pen. I’m really particular about writing implements. They have to be drawing pen-style, with a felt or plastic nib or whatever it is (like those on Artline pens) – never ballpoint or *shudder* gel. Gross. (I have pen cups full of pens, but currently I’m using Stabilo point 88. They’re not ideal – I prefer a 0.1mm nib and these are 0.4 – but they come in 30 colours, so that’s good. Can you believe I just wrote so much about a pen?)

i. Thesaurus. Doubles as a mousepad, because the shiny surface of my desk doesn’t allow for mouse-usage. Babow.

j. Headband for wild hair taming. I pretty much never use it because it’s a children’s headband and therefore fairly tight on my head… but it’s there just in case.

k. Post-it notes. I hate paper post-its. These are paper. I don’t know why they’re there. My research is almost entirely paperless these days.

/end procrastination.
Filed under: academia Tagged: desk, editing, study, thesis