How to Write a Paper - Kate and Cowgirl Style

7:44 AM Edit This 12 Comments »
Remember how I was helping Cowgirl write a research paper for her abnormal psych class?
Well, this is what her living room looked like on Saturday afternoon. We spread out, we categorized, she wrote long hand, I typed. I do not understand people who don't know how to type like the wind. Oh wait. They're not bloggers. Anywhoodles, kids and cats in and out, husbands asking what's for lunch and a fire in the fireplace made it a busy day, but we pushed on! And the rough draft is done and ready for her to turn in tomorrow. She's a "Oh! Look! A shiny penny!" kind of gal, so my job was to keep her on task. She went up to get a glass of water once and didn't come back for awhile. I found her in the laundry room, absentmindedly folding clothes. I'm like, "Cowgirl? What are you doing?" And get back, "Oh yeah. I just saw this pile here and got distracted." Dude! Who gets distracted by LAUNDRY? Oh yeah, a mom with three kids.
Of course, she chose alcoholism as the topic for her paper. Seeing as we both have some experience in that area. So about five in the afternoon, for a little entertainment, we did a photo-op. THIS is how you write a paper!We went out to the barn and asked her husband where the booze was. He laughed. Thank God. It could have gone either way. No one comes out unscathed in this disease. But that's a funny picture. I don't care who you are. And in conclusion? Which is the conclusion of her paper. Is that there is NO DEFINITIVE RESEARCH ON ALCOHOLISM AND NO DECENT STUDIES ON WHAT WORKS TO TREAT IT! So, I guess we just keep muddling along, doing what works for us and hoping that someday, someone will think it's important enough to really study.

12 comments:

Dingo said...

The best papers have hard evidence to back them. If that hard evidence just happens to be hard liquor, well, so much the better.

In conclusion, woohoo! The rough draft is done! Now, about that laundry...

TMC said...

Wow! I might've made it through grad school if I had this sort of paper-writing help. :)

underOvr (aka The U) said...

Hi Kate,

Sounds like the two of you find great strength in supporting each other. What a way to demonstrate friendship.

BTW...how are you doing with NaNoWriMo?

U

Susan Carpenter Sims said...

Looks like more fun than I'll have when I meet with my students about THEIR papers today.

melissalion said...

Look at all that sunshine! I'm sorry, that's all I can see.

It's been gray here for WEEKS.

Ugh.

Also, you are a very good friend. Paper writing is the worst!

Sparkling Red said...

Nothing definitive? That's shocking.

Sweetly Single said...

Nothing like mutual organized disasters to help figure things out

BrianAlt said...

Ha! Figures.

I guess she just found her thesis? Or maybe your thesis??

brad said...

I... I can't believe I'm saying this. But I miss paper-writing.

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

It's hard for me to fathom alcoholism NOT being important enough to study. It doesn't care your race, religion, gender, sexual identity. It cares not what part of the world you live in nor how much money you make. It cares not your highest level of education. That shitty-ass disease can hit anyone. We should all care about it.

justjp said...

That second photo is how I have written almost all of my papers in the past. Strong work.

[F]oxymoron said...

That's what I call some mad scribbling!