Nescafe in trouble again!

Coffee recalled in glass scare – Yahoo! News UK

HA HA HA.

Does this mean they’ll have to remove their “100% Arabica Coffee” claim on the label?!

 

Dear Mrs Bel…

Apparently I have to write a letter to my Future Self to remind me of what on earth I am thinking about at the moment, and what I need to remember in six months time. Usually, I don’t think my memory would be that bad, but then, I’ve never given birth before…. I had to reassure my supervisors that I am not actually going to disappear and pop off the face of the planet for the next six months, I’ll just be entering a parallel universe, lined with nappies, for a while.

So, where am I at the moment? Blimp-like, impatient, constantly tired… enjoying the ability to moan justifiably….
I have detailed, lengthy drafts of my thesis chapters on Quality, Skills, Fairtrade/ethics, and Certification done. I also have plenty of “background”, history of coffee and Costa Rica and Nicaragua “finished”, as well as some photo essays and diagrams esxplaining the mightily complicated 22-step coffee production/construction process.  I am planning on incorporating a ‘chapter-specific’ literature review at the beginning of each chapter, rather than doing it as a chapter in its own right – the basis of this is there in most of it already. Most of the referencing for all these chapters is already done (on the end of each chapter, and housed in my Mendeley folder). I have my little video to stick in as an appendix, and some transcribed interviews and focus groups to add in the end. Finally, I have three pages of rough notes on what is going in the dreaded Methodology chapter, and I’ve even written 300 words of abstract.

(*pats self on the head*)

Over the next couple of weeks, I need to collate all the scribbled notes and emailed feedback that I’ve received from my supervisors so I know how to attack each chapter again when it comes to editing.
I need to harrass Coburg if possible, and maybe send Simon to the Caffe Culture/SCAE conference in June as my decoy/spy to interrogate the bloke from Caffe Nero on my behalf.
I also need to grab Simon and talk coherantly about what we are going to do in terms of writing up the Quality Taste Test, seeing where the write-up could go (Cafe Europa magazine? Journal of Food Quality?). Currently have unpleasant feeling that this is going to lead to re-writing a large chunk of the Quality chapter as well.

Possible paper with Kate-in-Colorado?

When I get back:
Most importantly, get the methodology and conclusions (!!!) done.
Waste – in intro and conclusions
ANT stuff (and plenty of other theory) to go in methodology – “SNOWBALLING”
Add in whatever my research questions and aims actually are into the introduction chapter – possibly easier to do AFTER I’ve written the conclusions?
Serious tweeking required of everything else, specifically:

• Health section of certification chapter needs reshaping
• Ethical consumption theory attacked properly in Fairtrade chapter
• More theory in general, in everything
• Fairtrade stuff may need updating?
• Adding in ‘conclusions’ from taste test into quality chapter
• Draw out waste aspects in each chapter
• References… spell checks!.. finalising chapter order…

and I think that is it!! Is that naive?? Have I forgotten anything??

Felt REALLY ODD doing my last few bits in Sheffield the other day. I don’t really want to leave!! :-S I am now not really sure what I am supposed to be doing with myself… Just Waiting, I assume….

 

Enough Coffee! Make way for Cheese!!

Well, kind of.

I can never give up my coffee; and more importantly, I haven’t finished the PhD yet either. But, everything is going on hold for a few months. This is due to the impending arrival of

Our Tiny Cheese is due in just over 5 weeks time!!!! Sooooooooo exciting.
Cheesey adventures are taking place on the other side of the information superhighway, at tinycheese.blogspot.com
Same old me, different subject matter.

Never fear! This blog will be reanimated (re-caffeinated?) as soon as I get back to “work” after the summer. See you then!