Sticky data ( a rant and rave)

As I go over and over and over the discourse data that I have gathered I begin to get a feeling like it is thick sticky treacle. Everytime I think I have found a patterns and a framework which nicely displays it, it is like sticking my hand deep in the goop. And then I think well if I put my legs in too, I might be able to pull myself out.... I end up a big frustrated mess. Covered in wonderful data, and not able to form it into ANYTHING consistent.

Ok, so now I have scraped it all off and formed it into something resembling something, and then I go and stick my hands and my head into the literature... "word order in discourse", "what is focus", "focal discourse particles" and the likes. Very sticky, very messy, very hard to know what the shape is they really make.

AAAGH get it off me!!

BUT, I am going to write it anyway. And present it at ALS, and everyone can come along and have a giggle at the debacle, or if they are really brave, get into it.

See you there!

PhD

Yes I am still doing a PhD in linguistics... but things are kinda slow on that front :(. Maybe I will have something juicy to report after ALS conference in July ( where I hope to see Change Junkies, Langguj Gel, Transient Languages mob etc! yay!).

Wedding Invitations

On the weekend me, my little sis, Eyal and my WEDSM (wicked-ex-defacto-stepmother (and you think YOU KNOW complicated kinship systems !)) made the invitations to the wedding! We had such a great time doing it. My brother's defacto-girlfriend-sweetheart suggested we paint little cards and use them as something original. With a little help from the arts supply lady ("now don't forget to have FUN, I see too many couples stress about this!") we ended up around the coffee table on cushions painting and drawing our little hearts out.

With plenty of good food (Indian take-way) a couple of bottles of wine (not for the little sis), and some delicious organic chocolate we rode the wave of creativity all weekend and produced 72 beautiful little cards. We had a break to watch "Sex and the City" movie, but it couldn't compare to sharing stories, swapping ideas and complimenting each others skills around the table with our four little paintbrushes and box of pencils.

In fact we would have done more if need be (Eyal and I were excited to find a few little cards still unpainted). The secret was adding tracing paper over the top with the details printed on it. It looks awesome. We are having doubts about our ability to 'let go' and send them all away to their new owners!

Here are some pics.







Notice the three up the back with the tracing paper over the top.