Submission and Acknowledgements

Yesterday, on 20 / 12 / 2012, I submitted my thesis.





I don't know what I'm going to do with this blog.

I don't know what I'm going to do for a job.

I still have to get results and do revisions and who knows how long that will take.



But I thought it was worth making my acknowledgements public because what's the use of thanks hidden in a book somewhere they're not going to see?

So here they are. A huge thank you to everyone mentioned.

Acknowledgements

Thanks must go to my primary supervisor, Dr Peter Mickan, for his constant belief and encouragement, and to my secondary supervisor, Dr Jenny Rosevear.

For the analysis of this thesis, I’d also like to particularly thank external experts for providing generous advice and feedback: Dr Karl Maton on Legitimation Code Theory and Dr Lexie Don on Appraisal Theory.

For the writing of this thesis, I must thank and acknowledge my hoard of marvellous proof readers who willingly edited in return for this thanks and, at most, a picture of a puppy: Dr Nayia Cominos, Alex Price, Rachel Mullan, Claire Simpson-Smith, Rosie Lovell, Emily Heylen, Jess Scott, Shari Lapthorne, Nick Coutts, and Alexia Moncreiff.

For the PhD experience, I’d like to thank past office-mates Dr Hiromi Teramoto, Dr Celine Chu and Margareta Rebelos for going before me. Thanks also go to: the various Shut Up and Write teams – virtual and real life – for helping to churn words out; Signature Café for consistently excellent motivational coffee; and the twitter-folk who willingly followed my ramblings as jazzlinguist, for constant and incessant support, sympathy and celebration at any time of day or night. Special thanks to Maria Ioannou for motivational coffees and tomato-based productivity, and to Johanna Motteram as office-mate and co-conspirator for world conquest.

Particular thanks to the Honours Jazz Performance students for participating in my research.

Lastly the greatest thanks must go to my brother, Jeremy Martin, for answering random music- and jazz-related questions, for providing technical music support, and most importantly for inspiring this research. And to my parents, for encouraging me to aim for a floppy hat, and for being so extremely generous in their support, particularly during this final year.

All these people contributed to the best parts of this thesis; any remaining mistakes are entirely my own.

3 Rounds of Thesis Editing

Don't ask about the thesis thunderstorm

I have been neglecting this blog in favour of my thesis and so it has become merely a repository for small things that amuse me, generally centring on the PhD experience because, let's face it, that's all there is to my life at the moment. So when my friend lent me her iPad the other day to play with an app I had begged her to download so I could play with it, I of course drew this image which has been in the back of my head for months:

Now I desperately need an iPad just so I can download the Paper by 53 app! If anyone wants to buy me one I'd be most grateful!

For the record, I don't mind too much if people ask about my thesis, just check the rules. 

Eulogy for a deadline

We are gathered here today to witness the passing of yet another deadline.

September 30th was a dearly-loved deadline and one which added much-needed urgency to thesis writing. Right until its timely end it continued to motivate and drive writing. Its sacrifice has and will continue to make the thesis a better, more thorough document, and ultimately increases its chances of being successful.  In remembering this submission date, at this time we also remember March 30th and June 30th, deadlines who have passed but are not forgotten.

Please join me in a minute's silence in honour of this and all deadlines which have passed for the greater purpose of the PhD.

Thesis writing doodles

I've been doodling a bit lately, much to my own surprise. Here's a few inspirations I had in the midst of a thesis writing productivity spurt.

 

12 days of thesis

12 days ago @drjavafox tweeted that she was 12 days away from submitting her thesis. With that kind of prompt what could @heatherfro and I do but add this bit of silliness to the repertoire:

On the first day of thesis my advisor gave to me: an annotated bibliography

On the second day of thesis my advisor gave to me: two examiners and an annotated bibliography
On the third day of thesis my advisor gave to me: three notebooks, two examiners and an annotated bibliography

On the fourth day of thesis my advisor gave to me: four dropbox folders, three notebooks, two examiners and an annotated bibliography

On the fifth day of thesis my advisor gave to me: FIVE REVISIONS! four dropbox folders, three notebooks, two examiners and an annotated bibliography

On the sixth day of thesis my advisor gave to me: six meltdowns, FIVE REVISIONS! four dropbox folders, three notebooks, two examiners and an annotated bibliography

On the seventh day of thesis my advisor gave to me: seven all-nighters, six meltdowns, FIVE REVISIONS! four dropbox folders, three notebooks, two examiners and an annotated bibliography

On the eighth day of thesis my advisor gave to me: eight computer breakdowns, seven all-nighters, six meltdowns, FIVE REVISIONS! four dropbox folders, three notebooks, two examiners and an annotated bibliography

On the ninth day of thesis my advisor gave to me: nine formatting issues, eight computer
breakdowns, seven all-nighters, six meltdowns, FIVE REVISIONS! four dropbox folders, three notebooks, two examiners and an annotated bibliography

On the tenth day of thesis my advisor gave to me: ten appendices, nine formatting issues, eight computer breakdowns, seven all-nighters, six meltdowns, FIVE REVISIONS! four dropbox folders, three notebooks, two examiners and an annotated bibliography
On the eleventh day of thesis my advisor gave to me: eleven forgotten references, ten appendices, nine formatting issues, eight computer breakdowns, seven all-nighters, six meltdowns, FIVE REVISIONS! four dropbox folders, three notebooks, two examiners and an annotated bibliography

On the twelfth day of thesis my advisor gave to me: twelve hard bound copies, eleven forgotten
references, ten appendices, nine formatting issues, eight computer breakdowns, seven all-nighters, six meltdowns, FIVE REVISIONS! four dropbox folders, three notebooks, two examiners and an annotated bibliography

PhD blues

Seriously people, stop suggesting PhD analogies to me. I've already got the twelve days of thesis brewing and then somebody suggested "PhD blues". Then this happened. Entertainingly, when I tweeted it I got one spam tweet suggesting how I can make money, one tweet of encouragement possibly missing the fact the tweet rhymed and one "... is that a song?" So, with many apologies, I give you, the PHD BLUES.

Some people say
That I'm a smart sort
They think I'm alright
When it comes to thought

But what do they know?
I've got them all fooled
I can't write my thesis
I got the PhD blues

Got the phd blues keep me up all night
Got a half-finished thesis I just can't write
I'm all outta money I'm all outta time
If I want my doctorate I must first lose my mind