The Only Good Dissertation is a Done Dissertation

If you follow me on Twitter and Facebook updates, you know that I submitted my completed dissertation to my committee this afternoon.

After months and months and years of working at this degree, and feeling as if I would never come to the end of the work given all the other responsibilities in my life, I have.  I'm almost at the end.  My director's comments were that the committee will read over the work for the next few weeks, makes notes about what I need to modify, then we'll schedule a defense for early November.  Between now and the first of December, I'll make whatever changes are necessary to the work.  But it's possible that by early November, I'll be a Ph.D.

I write that-- "early November" --and it doesn't seem quite real.  Holy crap.  Digression:  when I lived in Tokyo I used to just walk down the street-- minding my own business.  I would have these sudden attacks of surreal moments:  "I'm walking down the street in Tokyo, Japan," I would tell myself.  It didn't seem right.  Me.  In Japan.  Completing the dissertation and being a Ph.D.?  It's like that, surreal.

Suddenly, I'm very, very tired.

Things I will do now that I'm not writing about alternative programs and pedagogies for underprepared student-athletes (but I'll do them starting tomorrow):

• Take photographs.  I have missed my camera and using photography as a way of seeing the world.  Maybe I won't go back to Project 365-- as I did that for 18 months-- I think I'll start something else.
• Visit with my family.  I'll see the Bundle in a few weeks when I go to LA.  Can't wait!!
• Apply for a job ... a lot of them, actually. 
• Wash my car.  Really.  It's bad.
• Read blogs.  I have 837 blog posts in my feed reader that have been ignored for the past few weeks.
• Write blog posts.  I've missed writing here.
• Grade student essays.  I'm sure students will be happy to get them back. 
• Celebrate the submission, the revision, the defense, and the graduation.  Lots of celebration going on in these parts.
• Visit San Francisco (see applying for a job above).
• Clean my house. 
• See San Francisco (since I once lived there, I want to visit the places I used to visit).
• Get a haircut.
• Referee soccer.
• Buy another graduation present for myself, something not quite as expensive as the first present I bought myself.  (hee hee; click the link and go to the last item) 
• Exercise-- yes, it's been a while --and I want to get back to it.
   

But for now, it's time for bed. I'm bone tired.  Tomorrow starts a whole new chapter . . . ok, the new chapter will be planned tomorrow. That new chapter will actually begin . . . early November.

Cross posted at Dissertation Boot Camp.

Comments

[comebacknikki]

Congratulations!! :)

[Anastasia]

congrats! That's so exciting!

[chris]

congrats, indeed.

[Derek]

Good going, Billie. May you enjoy every minute of the celebrating.

[Bright Star (B*)]

yay! This is great news.

[jo(e)]

Congratulations again! I am so excited for you.

[profgrrrrl]

Congratulations. What a wonderful thing to accomplish. :)

[Terry]

Congrats! Dr. Billie - it's got a nice ring to it!

[Amy]

Don't stop posting your pictures in some way. I would and do miss your pictures.

[rageyone]

simply wonderful!

[J. K. Gayle]

Been so busy following your lead. Whew, life of the diss. Any updates? Keep us updated when your committee sets the D-day!