Cyberspace Ate My Homework!
Nov. 28th, 2006 04:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ciroccojI've got this paper due next Wednesday. It's for Civil Liberties and is worth 100% of my mark in the class. Now, most of our papers & exams in law school are 100%, but this one was declared my Major Paper, which means the mark for it will go on my transcript in a special box of its own. No pressure.
The paper is on Civil Rights violations by the Canadian government in reaction to three specific events: Pearl Harbor (damn, I have to physically stop my fingers from typing that extra little 'u' in there!), the FLQ Crisis of 1970, and September 11. Piece of cake.
I'm up to about 35 pages. I've got most of it written, though I still have to work on some of the most critical parts of it, namely the evaluation of the current civil rights situation and a fitting conclusion.
Last night I stopped work around midnight or so, and decided to finish getting into readable form today, so that I could send the first draft to my prof tonight. Yes, it'll be missing quotes and footnotes and it will have some sections that just say "This is where I'm going to talk about the difference between the Canadian Bill of Rights and the Charter of Rights", but at least she'll get a good idea of where I'm going with this.
Had a good night's sleep. Felt a bit ill this morning, but I slept a bit more and felt OK again.
Got my breakfast. Talked to Daniel. Had a shower.
Went to the computer, opened up my file.
Which wasn't the file I finished with last night.
No, it was the file I finished with November 24.
November 24. Before I wrote the Introduction. Before I described the factual situations. Before I wrote about the perceived threat in each situation, or public opinion about the measures taken, or significant flaws in the measures, or specific rights violated, or impact on the communities affected, or impact on Canadian rights history, or or or
Before I had more than about 2 pages of outline, 5 pages of random observations and ideas, and 10 pages of direct quotes and statutes waiting to be whittled down to usable size.
Needless to say, I freaked.
Cut a very long story short, after a couple of totally frantic hours in which I completely fell apart and Chris called some Nerds'R'Us company and sweet-talked the computer and tried to help me not hyperventilate, he found it. In the back-up file created automatically by the computer when it makes a copy of a Word file that is supposed to be HotSynched to a Palm. WTF?
I'm still running so high on adrenaline I think I'll not need caffeine for about a week. That, and whatever natural high you get from suddenly seeing the world in a whole new light, because while last night I went to bed thinking I was distressingly far away from being done with this paper, a couple of hours of thinking I would have to re-do most of what I spent the last several days writing really, really made me appreciate just how far I've actually gone with the paper. Last night I would've told you I was 20% of the way through. Right now? Around 90%.
Both wildly inaccurate measures, both based on over-emotionality, but the second sure as hell feels a lot better than the first ;)
***
Random quotes from my home this morning:
Daniel: Is Mama OK?
Chris: No, Mama's a little stressed out.
Daniel: Can I give her a hug?
Chris: You can try.
(Daniel comes up the stairs, asks if he can give me a hug and I thank him very much but tell him this is really, really, really not a good time to do anything but stay away from me, like, really)
Chris: What did she say?
Daniel: I think she's a little bit preoccupied.
Me: Oh my God THANK YOU!!! OH MY GOD!!!!
Chris: So... does this mean you'll be putting out tonight?
Me: Forget tonight, how about right now?
Chris: So, make sure you back it up, right?
Me: Yeah, god, no kidding. I'm backing it up everywhere.
Chris: And back it up under different names, too. Like what I've done here, these files, "Chris Rocks" and "Chris Rocks 2"...
Me: ... don't forget "Chris is SO gettin' some tonight," eh?
The paper is on Civil Rights violations by the Canadian government in reaction to three specific events: Pearl Harbor (damn, I have to physically stop my fingers from typing that extra little 'u' in there!), the FLQ Crisis of 1970, and September 11. Piece of cake.
I'm up to about 35 pages. I've got most of it written, though I still have to work on some of the most critical parts of it, namely the evaluation of the current civil rights situation and a fitting conclusion.
Last night I stopped work around midnight or so, and decided to finish getting into readable form today, so that I could send the first draft to my prof tonight. Yes, it'll be missing quotes and footnotes and it will have some sections that just say "This is where I'm going to talk about the difference between the Canadian Bill of Rights and the Charter of Rights", but at least she'll get a good idea of where I'm going with this.
Had a good night's sleep. Felt a bit ill this morning, but I slept a bit more and felt OK again.
Got my breakfast. Talked to Daniel. Had a shower.
Went to the computer, opened up my file.
Which wasn't the file I finished with last night.
No, it was the file I finished with November 24.
November 24. Before I wrote the Introduction. Before I described the factual situations. Before I wrote about the perceived threat in each situation, or public opinion about the measures taken, or significant flaws in the measures, or specific rights violated, or impact on the communities affected, or impact on Canadian rights history, or or or
Before I had more than about 2 pages of outline, 5 pages of random observations and ideas, and 10 pages of direct quotes and statutes waiting to be whittled down to usable size.
Needless to say, I freaked.
Cut a very long story short, after a couple of totally frantic hours in which I completely fell apart and Chris called some Nerds'R'Us company and sweet-talked the computer and tried to help me not hyperventilate, he found it. In the back-up file created automatically by the computer when it makes a copy of a Word file that is supposed to be HotSynched to a Palm. WTF?
I'm still running so high on adrenaline I think I'll not need caffeine for about a week. That, and whatever natural high you get from suddenly seeing the world in a whole new light, because while last night I went to bed thinking I was distressingly far away from being done with this paper, a couple of hours of thinking I would have to re-do most of what I spent the last several days writing really, really made me appreciate just how far I've actually gone with the paper. Last night I would've told you I was 20% of the way through. Right now? Around 90%.
Both wildly inaccurate measures, both based on over-emotionality, but the second sure as hell feels a lot better than the first ;)
Random quotes from my home this morning:
Daniel: Is Mama OK?
Chris: No, Mama's a little stressed out.
Daniel: Can I give her a hug?
Chris: You can try.
(Daniel comes up the stairs, asks if he can give me a hug and I thank him very much but tell him this is really, really, really not a good time to do anything but stay away from me, like, really)
Chris: What did she say?
Daniel: I think she's a little bit preoccupied.
Me: Oh my God THANK YOU!!! OH MY GOD!!!!
Chris: So... does this mean you'll be putting out tonight?
Me: Forget tonight, how about right now?
Chris: So, make sure you back it up, right?
Me: Yeah, god, no kidding. I'm backing it up everywhere.
Chris: And back it up under different names, too. Like what I've done here, these files, "Chris Rocks" and "Chris Rocks 2"...
Me: ... don't forget "Chris is SO gettin' some tonight," eh?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-11-28 10:04 pm (UTC)*hugs*
no subject
Date: 2006-11-30 03:25 am (UTC)It really was. I'm still kind of giddy over getting it back :) :) :)
I'm so glad you found it, and I'm also glad to have an explanation for the earlier, quite cryptic, post!
Heh, yeah. I didn't have time to say much, but something had to be said :)
no subject
Date: 2006-11-29 07:17 am (UTC)Not only am I very glad you found it, I'm also very glad you posted the random quotes from your home: cuz it's 1:16 a.m. here, I'm still working on my paper, and you gave me a *much* needed hilarity break!
Good luck with the rest of it. And enjoy being creative with those back up files!
Twinkle
www.twinklesrants.blogspot.com
no subject
Date: 2006-11-29 03:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-30 03:29 am (UTC)Good luck with the paper!
I'm also very glad you posted the random quotes from your home: cuz it's 1:16 a.m. here, I'm still working on my paper, and you gave me a *much* needed hilarity break!
LOL you're welcome :D :D
guess where i backed up my paper before going to bed last night, thanks to your reminder?!?!?
Yeah, mine is backed up nine ways to Sunday right about now. Including one copy sent to my prof, which feels like extra insurance.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-29 03:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-30 03:30 am (UTC)I seriously wanted to make a little shrine to him yesterday. Thank god for geeks.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-29 03:51 pm (UTC)Thank God (or not, I guess, *grin*) for Chris!
Also, hee!
no subject
Date: 2006-11-30 03:31 am (UTC)Oh I wasn't choosy about who I was thanking yesterday, believe me - God, Chris, the Spirit of the Cave CPU, whatever :D :D
no subject
Date: 2006-12-02 03:15 am (UTC)Rather random, but a person on my f-lister just started a fic that I thought I should share with you, lol. Law and Aurors
!!!!
Date: 2006-12-02 04:08 am (UTC)::picking self off floor, semi-embarrassed::
Holy crap. That is awesome. Wow!
Kingsley! In a bright red suit!
Re: !!!!
Date: 2006-12-02 04:36 am (UTC)