all but cicadas - github pages · all but cicadas a dissertator’s haiku, tanka, and senryu:...
TRANSCRIPT
01
ALL but CICADASA dissertator’s haiku, tanka, and senryu:
STEPHANIE S SHIH
All but Cicadas.
03
A dissertator’shaiku, tanka, and senryu:
All but Cicadas.
Stephanie S Shih
iii
The following poemswere composed over the courseof thesis writing,
mostly during the summerof two thousand and thirteen.
Preface
Text and interior illustrations© 2014 Stephanie S Shih
Cover illustrationMagicicada septendecim
R.E. Snodgrass(in the public domain)
1
Grad school has sucked allthe words out of me.I am left with just three lines.
I.
3
A dissertator’scries crash silent upon thestone-eared committee.
II.
5
Sometimes I think ofall I haven’t yet finished.*hyperventilates*
III.
To do list
7
Abstract accepted!Crap—now I actuallyhave to do the work.
IV.
On conference abstracts
9
Dear natural data:Why am I so constantlycleaning up your mess?
V.
Corpus work
11
When my statisticsconfirm my hypothesis:Victory is mine!
VI.
The white whale
13
I kinda want tokick you if your articleisn’t on the net.
But I guess I’ll settle forjust not citing you instead.
VII.
Research in the digital age
15
Furiously slow,I deconstruct, reconstruct.Writing over and
over and over and o-ver and over again. Sigh.
VIII.
Writing a frustrating section
17
Committee meeting.Like winter: bone-chillinglycold, and far too long.
IX.
19
The literatureis too vast. Cannot poss’blysummarize it all.
That god for inter alia,e.g., and (my fav) et seq.
X.
Literature review
21
The literaturewritten before is vast. But,let’s get to the point.
XI.
Literature review, 2
23
“Schedule your defense!”“Just turn in a crummy draft!”“Revise it later!”
XII.
Imperatives from the advisor: 8 August 2013
25
Once, I asked Kie Zuraw howshe does it all. Her one tip
for academicsurvival: “Lower all ofyour expectations.”
XIII.
How to (A reverse tanka)
27
Richards, to me: “Youdon’t finish a thesis. Youjust run out of time.”
XIV.
Norvin Richards,on finishing dissertations
29
MFK Fishersaid: “Let your words go. They’ll soonbe wrapped ’round dead fish.”
(Or, they’ll soon be scratch paperfor drawing OT tableaux.)
XV.
31
Dear Frank Harrell: Thanksbut no thanks for rms.Bring back Design, please?
XVI.
Technological unadvancements
33
Why is it alwaysthat coffee I drink at 9never hits ’til 3?
#superhypercaffeinatedexpialidocious
XVII.
The drip
35
Emails from colleaguesabout music and cronuts;Citing stats papers;
Mottled light; working outsidewith a good friend from SD.
XVIII.
Things that make me happywhile dissertating: 16 August 2013
37
“Bake something stickyfor your committee, so theywon’t be able to
utter their criticisms.Caramel should do the trick.”
XIX.
On surviving the dissertation defense(advice from Nathan Schneider)
39
Sunday, 6am:Morning stillness, outside andon my gchat list.
XX.
41
Wondering if mycommittee will throw a fitif I don’t report
p-values for mixed models?It’s the principle of it.
XXI.
Re: Douglas Bates
43
Fifty-four pages(single-spaced), and still not done.One-chapter thesis?
XXII.
The never-ending chapter, 1
45
Fifty-five pages(single-spaced), and still I’ve gotthree whole sections more.
XXIII.
The never-ending chapter, 2
47
Fifty-six pages,Section 6.3.4.Deep breath, and... ...go!
XXIV.
The never-ending chapter, 3
49
A wondrous thing, thisfull night’s sleep! I’d forgottenwhat it’s like to dream.
XXV.
On sleep
51
Trees fall in silence.I do not exist betweenthe moments with you.
XXVI.
53
Facebook photos fromcolleagues of cronut shops named“La Cornetteria.”
XXVII.
Things that make me happywhile dissertating: 26 August 2013
55
I don’t understandpeople who work on trains. Trainsare for day dreaming.
XXVIII.
BKY → DAV
57
Rob pointed out thatChapter 4 is a thesiswithin a thesis.
XXIX.
Inception
59
While I sleep, the elvesin my computer test mymaximal random
intercepts and slopes for me.Thank you for your hard work, elves.
XXX.
61
Flat tire, burst pipe,travel logistics, and stillno housing for Fall.
XXXI.
Dissertation distractionson a Friday morning
63
Med school friend writes threepages in the time I writeone paragraph. #sad
XXXII.
Speed
65
Today’s diversion:argument on facebook re:“kugelhopf ” spelling.
XXXIII.
Google-hupf
67
Worried cause I don’thave a theoreticalimplementation.
XXXIV.
Upon hearing Matt’s defense
69
It’s quite hard not tofeel like a constant failurewhen I’m thesis-ing.
XXXV.
71
Incomplete drafts andincomplete thoughts and incom-plete senryu and
XXXVI.
Not finished yet
73
Why, hello, awesomepair of designer jeans fromthe start of grad school.
(Seriously, I should patentthis thesis weight loss diet.)
XXXVII.
Perks of the dissertation diet
75
in which I’ll now pulla dissertation out ofthin air in a week.
XXXVIII.
The magic trick
77
As Jen Hay once said,“Don’t worry. We specializein miracles here.”
XXXIX.
Upon hearing that I only have48 hours in which to produce a full draft
79
That glimmer of gleewhenever I spot typosin published papers.
XL.
Scholarly Schadenfreude
81
Cake, and grief counsel,will be available atthe end of the test.
#parallelsbetweenPortalanddissertationwriting
XLI.
The cake is a lie.
83
It’s “100 wordsor fewer.” *not* “100words or less,” damnit!
re: the LSA abstractnotification email.
XLII.
Every. single. year.
85
You never know whatyour dissertation’s aboutuntil the very end.
XLIII.
It’s true what they say
87
Model convergence,A finished chapter, and newsfrom the job market.
XLIV.
Dear Santa, My Christmas List:
89
Clues your talk was good:Mark Liberman’s there and saysafter: “Hey, good talk.”
XLV.
LSA 2014
91
I would not make agood academic becauseI. HATE. REVISIONS.
XLVI.
Reason #2394871927
93
So desperate tofinish that I’m listeningto Miley Cyrus.
XLVII.
Can’t stop
95
Relief : the one and only emotion I feel upon job success.
XLVIII.
The meat market
97
No matter how greatthe accomplishment, meritstill can’t buy one love.
XLIX.
Unfortunate fact of life
99
Filed! In one word,How I plan to celebratehaving finished: sleep.
L.
On Pi Day, 2014
And now, the sequel:(Euphemistically)The Merry Stroll to Tenure.