Culinary highs and writing lows

I feel like I've stepped up in the (academic) world. Where else but the LSE would a full lunch (OK, sandwiches and nibbles) be available as an incentive to a PhD seminar on comparative politics? I may be easily pleased, but it made my day, even if I did find it a bit of a struggle to keep up with far more well-read members on the programme. I think there was some discussion about democracy, regions versus universal explanations... um... ah...

Oh yes, I remember: what are the methodological limits to choosing regions over universal explanations? And this all led into a discussion about methodology - an issue which I revisted in the evening, at a PhD student-organised seminar on doing effective research design, including a clear hypothesis and breakdown of how the project is to be done.

But having spent the best part of this afternoon beginning the writing process, I've decided that the ideal and the reality don't mix.