Random Advice

ONE:
When writing a dissertation, it is better to either finish quickly (usually impossible) or to have a superior filing system which does not rely on memory alone. Since I started writing my dissertation, I have 1) added 1 1/2 children to my life, 2) entered the bewildering world of ASD and its various interventions, 3) moved 6 times, including two long stints in Japan, 4) seen both of my parents through various medical procedures, 5) started blogging, and 6) consumed more than a thousand cans of Coke Zero. I can't even remember what I had for breakfast this morning, much less where I placed that 2-page article on so-and-so's view of history. And the thing is that I need that article right now to move one sentence further along on my 200+ page dissertation. I also can't find my strand of extremely valuable pearls. But I don't need those right now, so who cares?

TWO:
Whenever possible, avoid going on the kindergarten field trip when 8 months pregnant, especially if the field trip requires three hours on a school bus full of small children singing "Jingle Bells" (out of season) most of the way. I had every intention of riding with one of the other mothers, but when Sky saw that some of the moms were riding on the bus, he absolutely refused to get on without me. It did not help for other moms to point out that they were worried that the excessive bumpiness of the ride (do school buses NOT have shock absorbers?) might put me into early labor. Nor did it help, really, that Sky and I were in a seat surrounded by parentless boys whose moms had decided to drive.

THREE:
Actually, I can't think of a third piece of advice right now...Plus, I just remembered that I logged on to my computer in order to search for the missing article.