Progress (I think) and a gendered travel issue...

I spent today working on Chapter 5 ("Findings"). I've written about 1/3 of the first half of the chapter (yes, that's 1/6 of the total chapter, or about 45 notecards). I'm pleased with it for the most part, but that is because I don't have anything to compare it to, genre-wise. I would feel better if I could see another dissertation with similar methodology, just to see if I am including everything I should. I'm also concerned that the writing is kind of clunky. I am trying to let my participants do most of the talking in this chapter, so that they speak through me instead of me speaking for them. However, that currently translates to something that looks like this:

[one line of my writing that introduces the subject under discussion]
[10-25 line quote from participant]
[one line of summation]
[repeat]

I don't like the looks of it. Oh, well; I'm meeting with my committee head in a couple of weeks, and if she doesn't like it she will tell me how to fix it.

The writing was uninterrupted for the most part. I organized and wrote from 11-3, then took a break to find my APA Manual. After half an hour of searching, I realized I have somehow managed to lose my 3rd manual in 4 years. Sigh. So I went to the bookstore down the street and plopped down another $30, only to realize when I got it home that it doesn't contain the answer to my question (about citation of interviews). Double sigh. I then just gave up and wrote for another four hours. Time flies when you're drowning in notecards.

I also realized today that I have a very gender-specific problem. In two weeks, I am flying from Ohio to New York, from New York to North Carolina, then from North Carolina to Tampa. In the 13 days that I am gone, I have to dress professionally for two days in New York (I'll be seeing the same people, and it is a huge faux pas for a woman to wear the same suit two days in a row) and for three days in Tampa (presenting at the conference one day, scouting out jobs the other two, seeing the same people all three days). I also have to attend a meeting with my Mom in North Carolina, which necessitates an all-weather professional outfit (suitable for 90 degree heat or 60 degree tropical storms). Because the airlines are charging obscene fees for checking baggage, I am going to be living out of one carry-on suitcase and a bookbag (filled with my dissertation work and presentation stuff). New York is supposed to be in the 50-60F range, while Tampa is expected to be in the 80-90F range. North Carolina, of course, is anybody's guess. So, at an absolute minimum, I need to pack:

2 cool-weather professional suits
3 warm-weather, non-wrinkling [i.e., no linen] professional suits
dress shoes that coordinate
jeans, a t-shirt, and sweater for days off in NC
stockings, camisoles, etc.
comfortable walking shoes
(2) 3 oz. bottles each of shampoo, face soap, lotion, body wash, hair gunk
wind, sun, and sweat-proof makeup (argh- hate it, but it's a necessary evil)
A coat for New York

Now, I do not consider myself high-maintenance. True, I do have that Momma-instilled Southern Guilt Complex where I live in fear of being called "tacky," but really...I'm not exactly a heavy packer, if you exclude the suitcase of books I usually take when I travel (I haven't even decided how to address my fear of being stuck somewhere with nothing to read). Still, I am blamed if I can see how I am going to manage to get all this stuff into a carry-on, even if I do pull the "pack two pairs of slacks and have them dry-cleaned at the hotel on alternate days" trick. If only I could get away with just changing my shirt and tie (as I have seen men do at conferences--don't think we don't notice you can get away with the same suit for a week!)

Arrgh.