D-day -44

Today has been spent in a mind-numbingly frustrating haze of administrative issues not related to the Thesis. That and preparing to go in and get my last course credits tomorrow. I've been aiming for "good enough" in this pedagogy course, but I've been over-shooting horrendously again and again. For this final task I thought I'd finally found the right balance between "not good enough for an almost-doctor" and "waaaay too much for a 6 hp mandatory course". But alas, it seems like I'm again using a canon to shoot mosquitos, as we say in Swenglish.

At the end of the day I finally also tired of the Thesis and sent it to test print, without checking some of the stuff I had on my list to check. Well well, that's what test prints are for anyway, right?

Today's (and Yesterday's) Achievements
Status: balanced, peaceful, totally zen - and with severe tunnel cravings!! Just one more week now...
Detailed progress: finished Acknowledgements, read through some parts, added numbers and stuff to cover inside pages, moved around some pages
Thesis Hours: 4
Words written: 373 (the very last?)

Overall Quest Stats 
Hours on Thesis Quest: 378
Words written: 27661 (73 words/h)
Figures included: 22
Tables included: 6
Equations included: 2
Overall accomplishment level:   99%  (decided to say that all the text bits are ready - enough is enough....)
Quest level: 18 - Almost Real Scientist

Status - detailed report (%)

Polishing status	70
Abstract	100
Sammanfattning	100
List of Papers	100
Thesis outline	100
1. Introduction	100
2. Background	100
3. Biomass gasification	100
4. Studied systems	100
5. Methodology	100
6. Results and analysis	100
7. Discussion, conclusions and future work	100
Acknowledgements	100
Papers	100

D-day -46

I realised I had to add a category in the status report below - "Polishing status", in order to capture the fact that although most chapters are now on 100% there's still some work to do. So I'm basically estimating how finished the Thesis end-work feels to me. Of course this is a highly subjective measure, as opposed to all the other measures which are all hard science. Obviously.

Today's Achievements
Status: except for the thighs I feel awesome. The thighs are awesome too, but a bit wooden from maybe slightly too much weight on the barbell
Detailed progress: corrected language, went through some old comments, began to write acknowledgements, upgraded stuff to more finished
Thesis Hours: 8
Words written: 302 
Figures included: 0 
Tables included: 0

Overall Quest Stats 
Hours on Thesis Quest: 374
Words written: 27288 (73 words/h)
Figures included: 22
Tables included: 6
Equations included: 2
Overall accomplishment level:  91%
Quest level: 17 - Almost Doctor

Status - detailed report (%)

Polishing status	70
Abstract	90
Sammanfattning	90
List of Papers	100
Thesis outline	100
1. Introduction	100
2. Background	100
3. Biomass gasification	100
4. Studied systems	100
5. Methodology	100
6. Results and analysis	95
7. Discussion, conclusions and future work	97
Acknowledgements	30
Papers	100

D-day -50

So much happens each day those days that I can hardly remember it all when I sit down in the evening to summarise the day. Or maybe I'm just starting to acquire that slightly confused, totally absent-minded, charming personality, now when I'm thiiiis close to being a real scientist?

Anyhow, this is what I remember from the day:

• More administrative stuff, forms to be filled out, emails to be sent, and so on
• Finished final task in last course that I need to become a doctor (just a liiiittle bit behind schedule, like 7 months or so)
• Fixed new passport (no more wait in lines at Stansted!)
• Had resting day so only did slow 5 km jog on icy tracks

Hmmm, sure there was something else.... hmmmmm....

Oh yeah that's right - the Thesis committee is confirmed! March 2 it is folks :-D

D-day -51

The progress today includes sending the other half of the Thesis for proof-reading, decolourising some figures that strictly speaking could just as well be greyscale as colour, polished the layout a bit, ticked off some administrative issues on the check-list (found check-list this week = 7 weeks before disputation, just a few things that should have been done 12 weeks before...), and spending most of the day complaining about muscle soreness.

And not that it applies so much to me (hrrrmhrrm....), but this was pretty spot on.....

D-day -52

Since I utterly and completely dissed all your title suggestions, I now offer you another opportunity to affect the outcome of Thesis quest - to decide on the cover layout! Way better than deciding on the title, eh?

You can vote in the poll at the top right of the page until January 17!

By the way, which of the two forest silhouettes is printed in the darkest green? The one on the left or the one on the right....?

Today's Achievements
Status: I can actually feel I'm almost a doctor
Detailed progress: worked through comments from supervisor, added a few more related studies, added some discussion, worked a bit on the Abstract
Thesis Hours: 8
Words written: 550 
Figures included: 1 
Tables included: 0

Overall Quest Stats 
Hours on Thesis Quest: 358
Words written: 26986 (75 words/h)
Figures included: 22
Tables included: 6
Equations included: 2
Overall accomplishment level:  87%
Quest level: 17 - Almost Doctor

Status - detailed report (%)

Abstract	70
Sammanfattning	70
List of Papers	100
Thesis outline	100
1. Introduction	100
2. Background	100
3. Biomass gasification	100
4. Studied systems	100
5. Methodology	94
6. Results and analysis	90
7. Discussion, conclusions and future work	90
Acknowledgements	0
Papers	100

D-day -53

Back at uni - full steam spacemachine from minute one!

Today's progress:

• Met with supervisor: apparently I'm not the only one who's starting to get a bit tired of this Thesis - which is good, since the Thesis has now been judged "almost finished"
• Trimmed title down. It's now so short that I can actually remember it and say it without having to pause to catch my breath in the middle. Unfortunately no witty catchphrase
• Met with printing people: decided on paper type, cover type, cover design in no time at all
• Wrote on results and conclusions for a conference paper, deadline tomorrow. Oh right, that's not Thesis related
• Got back into the habit of fika breaks
• Revisited the uni gym. Slightly worse for wear than the IIASA gym, but better mirrors. Think we'll become good friends again, me and that place
• Realised that the plants that managed to survive a summer and an autumn of my absence (thanks to good people) died two weeks after the care was returned into my hands. Well well, guess next summer will be easier then

D-day -57

After yesterday's huge success, today was destined to feel disappointing. Most of the day was spent reading through the entire Thesis (it's not a fun read, I'm telling you) and making minor adjustments. Sent some emails, added some, removed some - same old, same old. Oh and submitted a paper for journal publication.

I treated myself by defining some sections as more ready than they were before. Progressing towards 100%.

Today's Achievements
Status: feeling right on track
Detailed progress: read-through, lots of minor changes, submitted Paper VII for journal publication
Thesis Hours: 8
Words written: -99 (those days are exciting, never know before counting whether it will be plus or minus)
Figures included: 0 
Tables included: 0

Overall Quest Stats 
Hours on Thesis Quest: 346
Words written: 26436 (76 words/h)
Figures included: 21
Tables included: 6
Equations included: 2
Overall accomplishment level:  84%
Quest level: 16 - Master of the Progress

Status - detailed report (%)

Abstract	70
Sammanfattning	70
List of Papers	100
Thesis outline	100
1. Introduction	98
2. Background	97
3. Biomass gasification	99
4. Studied systems	100
5. Methodology	94
6. Results and analysis	90
7. Discussion, conclusions and future work	77
Acknowledgements	0
Papers	100

D-day -58

I did it. I wrote the Abstract and the Sammanfattning. Kaaablaaam on the progress!
Wonder how I'll ever be able to top that tomorrow....

Today's Achievements
Status: darn me, I think Ze Flow is back
Detailed progress: sent papers to opponent, wrote first draft of Abstract+Sammanfattning, made some polishing to the layout and corrections to page numbering,  added some important stuff like nonsensical quotes
Thesis Hours: 8
Words written: 820
Figures included: 0 
Tables included: 0

Overall Quest Stats 
Hours on Thesis Quest: 338
Words written: 26535 (79 words/h)
Figures included: 21
Tables included: 6
Equations included: 2
Overall accomplishment level:  83% !!! - getting there
Quest level: 15 - New Year Resolved

Status - detailed report (%)

Abstract	70
Sammanfattning	70
List of Papers	100
Thesis outline	100
1. Introduction	98
2. Background	93
3. Biomass gasification	97
4. Studied systems	100
5. Methodology	94
6. Results and analysis	90
7. Discussion, conclusions and future work	70
Acknowledgements	0
Papers	100

D-day -59

Wooah, inspiration hit me big time today! I rewrote the entire CO2 evaluation Methodology section, just like swoooosh! AND added a new figure to the Results. A bit of a västgötaklimax, as we say, that now, 12 hours later, I'm still at the same Progress level, and only 44 words ahead of yesterday. Funny, felt like I put all the 1000 words I deleted yesterday back again, but apparently not.

Tomorrow I think I'll go for something more radical, that brings me forward a bit. So I guess it's either the Abstract or the Acknowledgements then. If I do 50% of Abstract and of Sammanfattning, I'll leap right up to over 80% - that would be an all-time high!

Today's Achievements
Status: got pulled out into the dark, rain and wind for a run after 12 hours of working. Felt good afterwards
Detailed progress: rewrote CO2 methodology, polished Results for RQ4, probably something more as well..., sent current version to supervisor
Thesis Hours: 11
Words written: 44 (!)
Figures included: 1
Tables included: 0

Overall Quest Stats 
Hours on Thesis Quest: 330
Words written: 25715 (78 words/h)
Figures included: 21
Tables included: 6
Equations included: 2
Overall accomplishment level:  72%
Quest level: 15 - New Year Resolved

Status - detailed report (%)

Abstract	0
Sammanfattning	0
List of Papers	100
Thesis outline	100
1. Introduction	98
2. Background	93
3. Biomass gasification	97
4. Studied systems	100
5. Methodology	94
6. Results and analysis	90
7. Discussion, conclusions and future work	70
Acknowledgements	0
Papers	100

D-day -60

The new year could not have started better. After a week of general holidayness, I today had no problems keeping full focus, and brought out the big scissors (actually, I'm not using scissors but the delete button, but that's not really that big, to be honest). Deleted a whole bunch of stuff, and only added minor things. Plus inserted some of the general, fancy Thesis pre-stuff. Whoooa, this will be a productive week - I can feel it already!

Today's Achievements
Status: definitely not in the Schloss anymore
Detailed progress: made some updates from comments from kind readers, added pre-pages and updated Nomenclature, trimmed Research journey, trimmed Studied systems
Thesis Hours: 9
Words written: -1099
Figures included: 0
Tables included: 0

Overall Quest Stats 
Hours on Thesis Quest: 319
Words written: 25671 (80 words/h)
Figures included: 20
Tables included: 6
Equations included: 2
Overall accomplishment level:  72%
Quest level: 15 - New Year Resolved

Status - detailed report (%)

Abstract	0
Sammanfattning	0
List of Papers	100
Thesis outline	100
1. Introduction	98
2. Background	93
3. Biomass gasification	97
4. Studied systems	100
5. Methodology	90
6. Results and analysis	90
7. Discussion, conclusions and future work	70
Acknowledgements	0
Papers	100