Assignments thick and fast

Us students on the MRes had to get another essay in last week. It was on either:

• ethnography - rationales for

or

• discourse analysis: compare and contrast two types

Well, yeuch! I don't like essays and compare and contrast essays are even more difficult to structure because I can see a 2 by 2 matrix in them (that's the business side of me-MBA students get heaps of 2*2 matrixes).

So I chose the "Critically assess the rationales for ethnographic or qualitative research option". Qualitative methods tutor (QMT), who's been very sympathetic to my writing struggles, said that this option was a linear structure, and certainly I found it comparatively easy to produce, though I haven't got feedback yet.

Now, this week there's another TMA due in. This one is for the business model, and is quite fun in that it relates to real research. It has to be a proposal for research, with a long discussion of the ethical and political issues of doing it. Fellow student (FS) and I have been comparing notes. FS said late this afternoon that she was getting bogged down in the practicalities, which she would because she's been a real practising and successful manager, and I have been getting bogged down in the ethical issues.

I came home thinking I could type up my work this evening, but by the time I'd fed teenagers before they went out babysitting or socialising, and dealt with answering personal email, and Christmas cards, dear old husband was back from keep fit and needed feeding too. And now, look at the time - nearly 10 o'clock and wine time. Too late to type.