Around the end of November I began working on my thesis in earnest. On top of that, I had a paper to write for submission to a scholarly journal. The way it works here, as is much of the US for lab science PhDs, your thesis is the last step- not something you are constantly working on. True, you spend years on a project, and that body of work, when written, will comprise your thesis... you are not writing it as you go. You are given permission to start writing by a committee who oversees your progress. They say when you have completed enough of a project to both display your scientific maturity and have contributed substantionally to your chosen field to begin the thesis writing [and thus PhD earning].
Yesterday I submitted my thesis to my dissertation committee. It took me just about a month to write [if I count the days that I worked on it... there were days in there that I worked on my paper, celebrated Christmas, performed experiments, slept in...] In a few weeks I will have my dissertation defense, which is comprised of a public seminar and discussion, followed by a private, faculty lead defense. It's an important exercise, but also a formality. There is no way I will 'fail'.
So I am back from my blog break. The thought of spending MORE time at the computer when I was in the midst of writing was painful. I spent hours in front of the computer... cold, wrapped in blankets and typing with fingerless gloves. Days on end, the only time I went outside was for a morning run. When Damon was traveling for work, I didn't talk to anyone the entire day. True, I slept in till 6 or 7. I ran errands in the middle of the day. And I watched Star Trek: The Next Generation on Netflix a lot[Honestly, that show has stood the test of time way better than most shows that came out in the late 80s. Just don't watch it on a high-res screen]
Now that the thought of being in front of my computer and typing words doesn't make me sick, I'm glad to be back to blogging. So, internet. How are you?
