I'm currently working on my second dissertation, and being a science student it is r.u.b.b.i.s.h having to read journal after journal for various reasons:
1) I have to keep dictionary.com open AT ALL TIMES so I can look up every other word in the text.. and then I have to make a note of it for the next time it crops up. I may write to the national scientific board (i'm sure it exists in one form or another) to suggest it be made compulsory that definitions be written in the papers. However.. I HAVE come across one paper on biotechnology with numerous definitions in the margins.. it was magical when I found that beauty. However that was last year when I didn't really care about the meaning of words, and thus is irrelevant.
2) I constantly have the tough decision of whether to spend hours working out a cascade of reactions containg a million different molecules and its significance.. or just to blag it and hope I manage to get across the general gist of what's going down. I mostly blag it and like to believe everyone else does too.
3) I go through waves of positively thinking 'you know, it IS kinda cool how all these receptors in the body recognise specific components of pathogens to help fight infection' and the more negative thoughts like 'WHO the HELL cares, give me a more fun hands-on degree PUHLEASE'. This is a time when I need motivational thoughts like 'Maybe, if I really keep at it, I could be the next Louis Pasteur (but a girl) and change the course of microbiology for the next load of generations', this works for all of 10 minutes before I have to go and eat a bar of chocolate and make a cup of tea to make me feel better.
ok so i'll explain a little about what's taken over my life and making me go crazy-
More specifically this dissy's on Candida albicans (haha yup! the thrush causing fungal pathogen!) and how it interacts with the human host. It's a dream come true learning all this.. really. I won't bore you TOO much with the details but DID YOU KNOW in the US it's the 4th most common cause of nosocomial (SEE! ANOTHER WORD TO DICTIONARY.COM ABOUT! for those interested it means hospital acquired.. I think) bloodstream infections! and causes 35% mortality. The pathogens not too bad, its only if you have a dip in your immune system that it takes advantage to cause disease (either superficial like thrush or a more life-threatening one when it disseminates (open up dictionary.com) ! Until that it's just happily living amongst others on your mucosal surfaces creating biofilms and stealing your iron.. nice. Sooo keep taking those vitamins guys and girls and try maybe NOT to get HIV/AIDS.. Candida loves that one.
OK right, i'll stop talking about Candida.. unless you want me to continue? no? ok.
It's alright though, I'm taking some comfort knowing there are others in my position. Slash there really aren't.. I've still got 2000 words to write and its due in a WEEK! AHHHHH! And before that deadline I have 3 exams (which I obviously haven't had time to revise for.. slash have been procrastinating in the time I COULD have potentially revised for them). I'm a terrible student.
I'm praying the panic sets in soon so I start working like there's no tomorrow and actually get some work done, unfortunately the side effects of the panic switch are loss of sleep, crying, and eating copious amounts of comfort food.. which isn't toooo bad I guess (the eating bit, not the crying and sleep deprivation).
Hopefully next time I log in I'll be work freeee and love being a student again.
♦
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