Monday, January 30, 2012

what a week

2011 November - December - 2012 January 1st half
GET STARTED YOU FOOL (that's me being annoyed because of my "dieselism")

2011.12.22
promotor KDJ is confused about the thesis topic
me thinking: "how the hell can you still be confused about the topic??? I talked to you, e-mailed you, talked to that professor and that professor... do you even listen?"
me politely saying: "my thesis regards the left wing of the Egmont palace"
her saying: "ah then I can't be your promotor, that's 19th century"
... so she does have a week spot in the extensive collection of specialties: the 19th century
ah well, let's start looking for a wannabe-promotor and in the mean time GET STARTED

2012.01.20
the cold diesel started running - yihaaa, finally!

I had gathered everything for "take-off": read some books to get me into the topic, arranged access to the thesis building (Egmont palace), contacted several institutions, architects and archives, talked to both the promotor TC and co-promotor BVdW for their advice and, quite important, I had a table of contents...

let's start rolling!!! :D

2012.01.21
oh the irony... Murphy apparently had it in for me
"you have one new e-mail"... from the new promotor... regarding the thesis... on a Saturday morning... sent Friday night at 11PM
ok for the e-mail, the promotor and the topic... but the timing didn't exactly promise any good
promotor: "I received an e-mail from an historian working on a book on the Egmont palace. He has a contract with the archive and doesn't want to share his information with you" (summary of the e-mail)
me thinking: "fair enough, I'll manage on my own"
promotor continuing: "It's an exclusivity contract. I suggest you choose a new topic"
me: "WHAT????" *tears, fury, tears again, desparation, the feeling of an unseen upcoming capacity to drag the historian (let's call him anonymously Jack Az) via the promotors digital e-mail line from his "exclusive" trone through all digital lines available, preferably as uncomfortable as possible, to strangle him personally (although strangulation seems so humane...)*

now, I know, I didn't work that much yet, but that's not the point... this SUCKS

2012.01.23
no clue what to do now... it's the intermediate presentations this week, do I present or not
talk to professor KVB: "It's important you present; I think your promotor might be overreacting"
right... good thing I talked to him since I wasn't planning on finishing the presentation
hopes up that TC is indeed overreacting

2012.01.24
logical thinking: scientists (whether exact or human) make their research to increase knowledge on whatever topic they're working on
in other words: people are always working on parallel topics and sharing their research... I don't see the problem

2012.01.25
talk to promotor TC: "The historian is threatening with lawyers. I don't wanna be promotor of this"
me again: "WHAT????"

2012.01.26 AM
I'm presenting my research  in the most apathetic way ever
when I'm finished the discussion starts:
LV: "what's exactly the problem? cause I don't get it" - KDJ: "Jack Az" - TC: "he has an exclusivity contract with the archive" - KDJ: "it's not a private archive, it has an agreement with the university; I'll mail the responsible" - TC: "I don't wanna be involved in this; I had some issues with this man before; I will not be promotor" - KDJ: "ok, I will take over" - LV: "but why do we need to be diplomatic with somebody who's not diplomatic with us?" - KDJ: "if I have to send threatening letters to everyone who wants some information on my research..." - TC: "he's a frustrated academic who hates this university" ...
in the course of this discussion I see a little light at the end of the tunnel: KDJ on a warhorse leading her troups as a Joan of Arc to battle to Jack Az... *yes! I found the humor in the situation :)*
... KDJ: "I've never heard of this kind of exclusivity contracts" - LV: "this is only working parallel on the same topic" - KVB: "we can turn this around; he can use her information" - TC: "no, he's not that type of guy" ...
* KDJ of Arc is discussing tactics with her troups, fully armoured, her servants are armoured her noble and very big steed, ... my imagination is further running wild on battle field, army tents... TC is deserting the army; LV is going through his negotiation techniques*
... LV: "let's put a deadline" - KDJ: "two weeks, if it's not clear then, you'll have to change"
me, still a bit apathetic but happier with the battle thoughts: "ok"

2012.01.26 PM
e-mail from promotor KDJ, formerly known as ex-promotor, more formerly known as promotor with tips
response with some questions on my behalf, including "to avoid any confusion, are you my promotor again?"
her reaction, and I quote: "yes, you're stuck with me again" (I'm not joking, this is what she wrote :D)

secondly I wanna read the e-mails of Jack Az... if I will meet him again, and no longer promotor TC says I will, I wanna know how I can cover myself against him
... and it's worse than I thought: after a polite expression of his concerns in e-mail 1, a manifestation of nepotism in e-mail 2 by forwarding e-mails from Jack Az to the particular archive and a former prime minister (WHAT????) threatening with court cases, swinging with the exclusivity contract again, juggling with expressions like "I will not throw my research for a scramble", "it's an unwritten law that unpublished research will be protected", "doesn't your university have deontological ethics"

oh dude... what do you take me for???
btw, sanctimoniousness, vendetta whatever... but don't call your working-method deontology
I met and e-mailed you three months ago, you agreed to a co-operation
take your frustrations out on someone else and don't threat me like a fool!

to make a long story short... there is still hope, although it's tiny, but! there IS hope that I can continue
*feew*

2012.01.27
I need some rest... three days of everything but thesis related issues
11h32: call from the internship supervisor (who suggested the Egmont palace as a topic and got me in contact with Jack Az)... are you fucking kidding me?: "how is the situation evolving now?" - me: "call my professors, communication will go through them" - he: "ah ok, cause I phoned "Jack Az" and I think it is actually inevitable that you change your topic"
oh common... for three days... can't you leave me alone just for three days... I wanted to have a concern-free weekend

2012.01.28
e-mail from promotor KDJ... oh why the hell to I keep on opening my e-mails on a weekend???: (summarized) "you'll have to change your topic" - of course I do - "this situation is a scoop to me though, I have never before come across practices like this, didn't know exclusivity contracts existed" - I'm flattered to be on the front line of this scoop

ach ja...

anyone has a thesis topic available? 

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