On being ahead of schedule

Last blog for the month and for the first time since the spring, I am ahead of schedule! The last time I met with Indi, he made the comment that I might not graduate until summer. Our meeting covered many topics and the comment regarding summer graduation was a minor side conversation in the day's topics. Nevertheless, the idea of graduating in summer is so overwhelmingly unexciting that I am trying my best to do everything within my powers to avoid it. Most of my reasons for disliking the idea of a summer graduation are purely social, but there are negative implications for my academic future as well. Besides wanting to walk with friends with whom I've shared the ups and downs of coursework and dissertating at graduation, a summer defense is harder to coordinate and would delay my recovery. Instead of enjoying a summer holiday in the mountains and on the beach, I'd be stuck in my office beating my head against my desk for unnecessary additional weeks or months.

I would much rather defend in late April, make revisions and submit Geraldine to the graduate school so that I can walk in May, have a party, and relax for a few weeks before transforming Geraldine from a dissertation into articles I can submit for publication in some fancy-pants journal. Plus, it's way cheaper to fly to an exotic location in May than August. :) Besides, defending in summer means that no one else would be around to say congratulations, Dr. Kelsie when Indi finally walks out of the defense room to welcome me back in. That's the moment I'm looking forward to the most, and it's what I find myself fantasizing about when I'm not planning a trip to fantasy island that I'll never be able to afford. I imagine waiting for the outcome of my defense surrounded by friends who are glad they aren't the ones waiting for the decision of pass or fail. A summer defense means the option to walk in the winter graduation ceremony. By that point, I don't think I would care anymore.

So, in order to do whatever I can to avoid a summer defense, I've been writing, writing, writing. 20 pages plus references later, it is with great pleasure that I announce the completion of a full draft of a second chapter: the theoretical background. Oooooh, aaaaaaaaaaaah. Indi wanted complete drafts of the theoretical background and the methods chapters by the end of January. I am two months ahead of schedule. This leaves more time for revisions and a better final product. Time to relax and enjoy the weekend (and a glass of Glühwein). Happy Friday!