Well, I am back at it...

Since I have been gone so long, it probably seems like I was never here!!

I am officially going back to GWU 3 times a week to work on my research, after all, I have 64 credits so all I need is the dissertation to finish. Simple, yes?? Ha ha!!

But now I have real time for this, although I still feel guilty that my 2 year old is a full-time daycare kid now, and I don't bring home any money. I keep telling myself it is temporary and I need to have time to finish as trying to do this at home while watching her just didn't cut it. It's going to be a long time and a long road, but at least I have really started.

Speaking of which, time to go...

Successfully defended

I know I've been a silent contributor since I joined. I hope that the news of having successfully defended my dissertation last week might serve as an explanation. Color me relieved. I'm particularly ecstatic about having been awarded a distinction not to mention no revisions as such.

It sure feels good to be done....to those working their way to the finish line, yes you can!

Busy

Popping back in for another update. I'm in the middle of a couple very busy weeks. Out of town for a campus visit last week, phone interview this morning, talking about my diss in a class of newbie grad students tonight, covering a class tomorrow for a friend who'll be out of town, on my own way out of town mid-week. Another interview at the out-of-town conference, another campus visit next week.

Perhaps amazingly, I am getting a lot of good work done on my diss.

And in unrelated matters, I bought myself an iPod touch this weekend. It is fan-freaking-tastic.

Checking back in

I don't know if this blog is on anyone's radar anymore, but I'm thinking about renewing my commitment to using it as a spot to talk about my progress. Writing has been moving very steadily for me lately-- all the time I've spent reading, scrawling, and thinking (without much text/product to show for it) seems to be paying off.

I had a phone interview this morning, did a little bit of tidying and organizing, then I took the rest of the day off. I'll be working a full day tomorrow, and I'm actually looking forward to it.

So if you're around and checking this blog, I love comments and commiserations. And if it's just me talking to myself here, well that's what I do quite often anyway. Might as well have a record of it. :)

Congrats!

Congratulations, Dr. Billie, Ph.D.!!!!!!! 

Checking In (post dissertation defense "meeting")

Hey, everyone:

This blog as been weirdly quiet these past six weeks.  Where is everyone?  How are you all doing? 

Just a quick update with me.  For reasons that will very quickly become apparent, I can't write much here as this is a public space.  While I have a good sense of who peeks in to this blog (a statcounter), I don't know who these folks are in reality.  So best bet?  Say nothing incriminating.  :-)

I submitted my dissertation to my committee about six weeks ago.  The defense was scheduled for yesterday (November 19th).  There was, um ... , dissention, and um ..., issues, and um ..., differences that I didn't know about or was prepared for.  Instead of a defense, we had a "meeting."  My defense has been rescheduled for December 10th.

As you probably understand, this has been a very very difficult experience.  (Heh, and I thought writing the damn thing was hard enough.)  I'm not yet sure what to expect in three weeks.  Probably everything will be fine, but I have very little confidence of that fact right now.

I know how busy you all are (and would like to hear how you are all doing), but any extra good vibes you might have going into the next three weeks?  I could use them.

Submitted Dissertation to Committee Today

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 see her. Can't wait!!
• Apply for a job.
• Wash my car. Really. It's bad.
• Read blogs. I have 837 blogs in my feed reader that have been ignored for the past few weeks.
• Write blog posts. I've missed writing here.
• Grade student essay. I'm sure they'll be happy.
• 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.
• 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 Parts-n-Pieces.

Quick shoutout

Greetings fellow DBC blogging-mates and readers! Trying to change my MIA status. I went off on a vacation to Pakistan and made it a more or less Internet-free month. Suffice it to say it was blissful. But now I'm back and determined to churn out the remaining 2.5 chapters. So another update might not be imminent but I just wanted to shout out and see how everyone's been doing. Cheers!

Defending Proposal Soon

I have actual progress to report. Hurray! Spent this summer working page by page to fix a turgid dull repetetive draft of my proposal. Got the word back from my advisor a few days ago :

Your organization, writing, and conceptual framework are very clear. The proposal is in very good shape. I think you are ready to defend.


Shall I tattoo those words onto my forearm?

Good luck

Just a quick good luck to all those English-types out there who are waiting on the job list to open tomorrow!