The hardest part about writing the thing is that I'm much more polyamorous than monogomous when it comes to reseach topics. I'm contemplating yet another narrowing of the topic, which isn't exactly a reset back to zero, but might be perceived as such. I have to wonder if the problem isn't that with every step down the increasingly narrow path of the diss, I have to bid farewell to otherwise enticing topics that have nothing to do with my current trajectory. This fear of commitment has thwarted me more than once, but it's not exactly an active dislike of my topic--which is another thing I'm told everybody goes through this at some point--as much as a continuation of the question generating process. It's almost as if the curiosity that draws one in to graduate study might be the very thing that prevents its completion.
I'm kicking along on modifying the proposal, and I've got a good thing going with it. It's just that every once in a while I realize how much I miss face to face interaction, talking directly to people, finding out what makes them tick, figuring out how to improve interactions and/or everyday processes. None of these have any direct relation to my current research, which involves a thematic content analysis of interactvity within an online community. Still, I know my findings will add to the body of knowledge, so it's not that it's unimportant. I just miss being able to consider other enticing research questions.
Topics that are beckoning me from off the garden path: the correlation between craigslist and offline community development (e.g. what types of cities have robust craigslist communities? is there an offline component to this?); the effect of transient environmental modification on sense of place (see this page for more details); the correlation between localized blogging and civic engagement. is there one? does this differ if civic officials are doing the blogging?; and plenty of others. It helps to get them down here, out of my head, so that I can go back to my primary partner, the diss.
