Sunday, March 9, 2008

Couch Update

I just wanted to let you all know that I put on pants before leaving the house. Sure, I was kinda overheated while doing all that walking, but when I got to my pleasant place to read and work I was cold even with the jeans and a sweatshirt. So I take back what I said about it being shorts weather.

All of this is to explain that my previous post about Sloth as a Life Philosophy, combined with the lovely weather, inspired --- or perhaps guilted --- me into venturing outside and pretending to do work. I had a lovely walk, though quite long, and after some scrambling over and under a couple things I was not supposed to and taking a variety of public transportation options, I arrived at the beach. Where I did do some writing but mostly just recovered from my long trek.

And what could possibly lure me away from my rightful spot on the couch? I'll tell you: salt. As soon as I got to my planned destination I snarfed down a large order of the saltiest french fries you ever did see, and it was wonderful and delicious. There were also some picnic tables near this little snack stand so I had a comfy place to sit while ingesting food, complaining about my legs and feet, and struggling over my chapter.

The chapter ---- I'll just do what I do best here, and create a bizarre metaphor, because I am the Queen of Bizarre Metaphors (or perhaps, as Sue Who suggested, it is an analogy. I do similes too; don't think I'm not multitalented). This chapter is looking like ... a dress with a very tough pattern on the fabric. I'm trying to piece it together so that the pattern matches across the seams while still being capable of containing a human body. (I got rid of the third armhole awhile ago, if you were wondering.) Right now the two center pieces are meeting but are an inch off, and you don't want your patterns to jump awkwardly right across your belly, do you? But at some point you have to admit that if you want the argument fabric to match up you need to take apart one of the sections at the seams and alter the slant of that section, even though that means going back and undoing and redoing things.

So that was a couple days ago, and now I am stitching back together my things to end up back where I was before I had this discovery, except with everything looking a lot neater. I still have more bolded sentences to fix though. And I added a lot of be sure to tie this back to your main point more explicitly notes to myself on a recent read-through. Eh, sometimes it feels like it will never be done.

But now I am back home, very tired and not at all inclined to deal with my chapter at this time of night. And where do you think I'm sitting right now? Guess.

5 comments:

kfluff said...

Awesome metaphor! Analogy, whatever.

I once had a professor in my grad program tell a class that finding a theoretical approach for your diss topic was like finding exactly the right scarf for an outfit that pulled the whole thing together. All of the women nodded sagely, and the guys looked perplexed.

Run with the dress metaphor. And take heart: everyone who's writing owns a well-used seam-ripper.

Flavia said...

. . . but your metaphors are so good!

I believe in a third armhole, myself, just in case.

Dr. Curmudgeon said...

I love this because I remember a point in my dissertation where, when asked to discuss it, I felt distinctly like Charlie Brown in his ghost costume: holes everywhere.

Hope you're enjoying the warm weather even if it does mean wearing pants instead of shorts.

Earnest English said...

Nice metaphor.

I also appreciate greatly that your couch philosophy is not just a flash in the pan, but a deeply felt philosophy. Scoot over a bit, will ya? Gotta put my feet up. ;)

azoresdog said...

While I am sure there are many texts that describe the difference between simile, metaphor, and analogy... I am simply not inclined to look them up.

Hey, Sis, this new Couch Philosophy of yours is working for me!

Anyway, if it's related to engineering or technology it just doesn't *feel* like a metaphor to me; I reserve that for more abstract comparisons. That's my Sue-Who Guide to All Things Metaphoric... I thought I would save you a trip through the internets.