One of those days

I'm sure you've also had one of those days. When nothing helps you get an edge. And progress takes the backseat to procrastination. I've not only had a day like that, it's been more like two weeks. However it's not necessarily been procrastination that's been the driver, it's been bureaucracy.

It would be easy to admit that today has been another day of lack of progress, but I'm not so sure it would be truthful. I have just spent a gruelling 3 hours filling in an online application for funding for 2007. Let's hope that the 3 hours pays off and I get the funding next year. Why you may ask? It's almost double the normal funding that I could expect from my project supervisor. I'm a firm believer that students can always do with more cashflow.

Considering all the time spent filling in forms and sorting out claims and so forth, I have decided that: One. It's good to start a new degree the same time as everyone else... then everyone is filling in the same forms and whinning about the same stuff - to use the Tax Department's phrase: Filing Season. And Two: It's no wonder that doing a PhD takes on average longer than the 3 years it's supposed to. That over-time is spent on passing through red tape.


So with only the hardcopy paperwork to wrap up on this, the first application of filing season, I hope the others go smoothly and the time spent is worth it at the other end - the paycheck end.

Hopefully more about the project soon. On the bright side, the application has taught me how little I actually know about the finer details of my own project!

Todays Vocab Word : Amphoteric
In chemistry, an amphoteric substance is one that can react as either and acid or a base. Examples include amino acids, proteins and water. Many metals, such as zinc, tin, aluminium and beryllium, have amphoteric oxides.