Aaaaaaaaaargh!!!!

This week has been so difficult and unproductive! I am now at home trying to get some work done and failing mostly. It is a snow day for little missy and so there is no way I can get more than 1 minute of silence. Help! I lost most of yesterday to cleaning out my email box, dealing with lingering issues and fighting a terrible headache. I NEED to WORK. Uhg. My head isn't much better today for some reason. I can barely concentrate even when I am graced with silence for a blissful minute.

Between Wednesday and yesterday I did:

1. Read the rest of VISOR I.
This is a remarkable report -- very thorough and detailed account of the various processes influencing image retrieval. It is similar to what I hope to do, but I think it lacks clarity. I say that with some hesitancy, however, since it isn't that the writing is unclear. It is more that the report doesn't present the major aspects of the theoretical model it develops in a clear manner. Everything is inter-related, which I can understand but this tends to muddle all of the various dimensions and tends to make the model seem very weak. I will need to think more about this. What makes a good theoretical model? Isn't it simplicity and clarity? While models by their very nature gloss over the details, their strength lies in their ability to distill the phenomena down to the critical elements. I think the model itself does this in the VISOR I report, but the discussion isn't able to maintain this simplicity.
2. Found R. Bradley's paper and printed it out.
3. Added some research method references to my bib.
4. Ordered several research methods volumes.
5. Sent an email about the SIG-AH web site.
6. Looked through the camps for Meems.
7. Got our prescriptions.
8. Went to the dentist.
9. Got school supplies for the Meemster.
10. Wrote more recruitment emails and gave EA a rundown on my progress.
11. I read more of the Herbert Poole book Theories of the Middle Range. This has been a truly fascinating read, more for the historical story surrounding the development of the disciplines of library and information science than for how one goes about constructing theory. I haven't gotten through more than the first few chapters, so it might show up later on in the book.

Today I am going to try to get myself downtown for a few hours so I can print some of the articles I need for the research methods. I am feeling so much pressure to get back to the writing phase, but I need to go through lots more literature in the meantime. Arrrgggggghhhh! Ok so today I plan to:

1. Go through the VISOR bibliographies and print, copy, order or borrow the items on the list.
2. Try to recruit more participants.
3. Email the several participants who have asked me about the project or responded to my email.

To the shower!