Well, the word count isn't completely accurate today, but pretty close. I started making changes twice before I wrote down my last word counts, so I had to do some estimation. The next time I have a little free time, I'll do the math from the beginning again and see what it adds up to. I also did a little pruning (of the extraneous add cite, do this notes I tend to leave in my texts) so the word totals went down a little bit.

I sent the issues paper out to get read. It's far from done, but I need a little break from it and I think getting a check now to make sure I'm not completely spinning my wheels is a good idea. There's a cover document that goes with the portfolio, outlining how the papers work together and represent who you are as a grad student. I have about 600 of the 1000-1500 words for that document done. I'm taking a bit of a stand, saying that I know what I want for my dissertation (many of my colleagues don't know this yet), so I'm hoping that is received positively. At the same time, it's an important statement because that decision has tied the rest of the papers together. And, I want to get out of here in less than the 6+ years it's taking my classmates. So, I'm hopeful that knowing my research interest now will prove to move me through the system more fluidly.

I need to start work on the third paper. It's in draft form, but there's still data to analyze. Eek. lots to do for the next two weeks.

Of course, I'll still have more writing to do for the rest of November and InaDiWriMo. I have two other research papers due at the end of the semester, and I'd like to turn at least one of those into something publishable - not later. I've got enough on my plate for now.