La Profesora Abstraída

Weblog of Michelle Dion, Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, at McMaster University. My blog has moved to michelledion.com/blog. Visit my other website.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

How to know if you're making research progress

You can finally stop carrying one 2 inch-thick file folder filled with notes and drafts for one project back and forth between home and office. You can finally file that folder until you get reviews/funding news back.

During the same afternoon, you will either unfile or create a new file folder, fill it with printed articles or copies of journal issues off your bookshelves. You will now carry this file folder back and forth between home and office for the next several weeks.

The electronic equivalent entails files, folders, or shortcuts to either files and/or folders saved onto your desktop that can now be filed away in your computer innards. If you're like me, shortly thereafter, you'll have cluttered your electronic desktop with new downloaded articles to be read or shortcuts to data and draft folders.

This is like a revolving-Groundhog Day dance, where the projects may change, but the process stays the same, day in, day out.

posted by Michelle @ 6:31 PM, 1 comments

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

More pension shenanigans

While I'm busy writing about social insurance in Mexico through the Fox administration, Calderon and others ar working to privatize the pensions of government employees--with some interesting political results.

No links, but browsing the front page of the La Jornada over the last week will give you a sense of the dimensions of the conflict.

posted by Michelle @ 10:02 AM, 4 comments

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Impuestos 2

Time to do taxes using tax software: over 2 hours

Time to receive state refund once submitted: less than 1 week

Time to receive federal refund: less than 2 weeks

Time to spend the refunds: N/A. The money was already spent before I even filed.

posted by Michelle @ 6:14 PM, 0 comments