And good riddance.
I can't say I like the revision I sent to my committee on Monday afternoon, but in the limited time I had to address all the comments from my advisor, I did the best I could with the file. The hard copy, which goes to the graduate college review board for more technical assessments (formatting for the purposes of binding, archiving, etc.), went out from the post office today.
So I am, until my defense a week from Monday, free of responsibility for this draft!
The last two weeks have been disheartening because the writing really did become an endeavor for the purpose of finishing my degree, to satisfy my advisor's concerns rather than adhering to the larger vision I had (and still have) for the book project. Because the work is by nature incomplete -- writing a book and writing a thesis are not on the same scale -- and because the thesis also needs to be "complete," i.e., must set forth enough evidence of thought and inquiry into my subject to merit a sense of a focused investigation, I found myself revising at cross-purposes when I tried to satisfy my instincts and my professor's. Obviously, she and the rest of my committee will determine whether I graduate, so I ended up making some changes that I will be taking out again once I have the degree in hand. (I'm trying not to think about the remaining round of post-defense revisions that I'll have to complete before that happens.)
Life here has calmed down some since my last post. It's a relief. Thank you to the lovely people who sent private words of encouragement -- you know who you are. You helped me endure a craptacular two weeks where everything seemed to go pear-shaped and I had no choice but to get through it.
In the interim before my defense, I'll be doing some serious decompression (in between a lot of backlogged household chores). And I have a new project. Not one I'd say I elected to take on, but one that has taken on unexpected priority. More on that very soon ...
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6 comments:
Hi five and a herky!! Woot! So happy for you!
Thanks, Kitch! It's a relief. And a little hard to believe after being immersed in it for so long.
Excellent news! Félicitations!
Merci, BLW! And now, off to pack -- we fly tomorrow.
CT, I'm glad things have settled down for you, and I hope you're doing better with all of the things that you couldn't *eff*.
And yay for the thesis being on its way (or arrived, at this point)! And, perhaps, by having to take detours necessary for the thesis, you gained even more clarity about the direction that you truly want to take. Here's hoping!
Either way, congrats. And have a good trip! Good luck with the defense! I'm sure you'll be great! Or at least good enough. ;)
(My verification word is "worpated." Somehow, it seems meaningful in the context of your thesis.)
Thanks, GEW! I do hope to be good enough :). The thesis detours have provided insights for the larger project -- to the point that I might be starting the draft over in some ways when I take it on again with book-writing eyes -- but that's okay. It's a good sign that I want to make it "right" (whatever that means).
Worpated! Worry-pated ... yeah, that's about right. I have no idea what I'm going to be asked on Monday. One can only anticipate and hope the questions won't be too far afield.
As for the ineffable parts of this life, they're in a holding pattern. I'll take it for now!
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