I Guess This is Really Happening

Three weeks until D-Day.  Wow.  I still have so.much.to.do, but I'm starting to finally feel like I can actually accomplish everything.  I am so close I can taste it.  I've been waiting for this moment for so many years and I can't believe it's finally almost here.  After I defend, I incorporate any comments about my written dissertation that my committee gives me at my defense.  Then, I meet with the candidacy advisor one week after the defense for my formatting review.  Once I make sure it meets all of the formatting requirements, I print those final copies and that's it.  I ordered my regalia on Friday and while I opted to rent most of it, I did decide to purchase the hood because I want something to have forever to commemorate this experience.  One of my committee members gave me comments back on my first two chapters last week and thankfully, they needed very little editing.  Those are all but "finished."  My third chapter has caused me a lot of anguish and I finally finished it today and sent it off to the committee member who is going to edit it for me.  I expect a lot of revisions, but for now, I'm just happy to have the first draft completed.


You might be wondering what the future holds after this and I'm not sure yet.  I know that I will take the summer off to be with my baby.  We will do all the things together that I've been wanting to do now, but haven't because I always have the dissertation hanging over my head.  I can't wait to have zero school responsibilities and just enjoy her.  Come fall, I will likely start looking for a job, but I can tell you now that I won't be teaching and I am not willing to live life as a post-doc and be away from my baby the insane amount of hours that is required of a post-doc.  So, we'll see what happens.  Just have to get through these next few weeks...