After I switched chairs, it left me needing one more person from the department on my committee. The committee is a big deal and it matters for the job market who you have on yours. I will not have an African American lit specialist on mine for a variety of reasons, so it was essential that I at least get someone else from my period. I e-mailed the professor that I really wanted, and she finally agreed to be on my committee. I am really excited about this, and I finally feel like I have a committee that wants me to graduate and believes in me. She has already given me a lot of great advice on how to better structure the project so that I can get done faster. She also had some reading suggestions for me that look like they will be really helpful. I got one of the books in the mail today, but I just can’t bring myself to spend my spring break reading a philosophical discussion on the nature of torture. So, next week that will be on my plate.

The even better news is that I figured out my finances last week, and I don’t have to work this summer. I usually teach a six week course in the summer that pays really well and is really rewarding from a teacherly standpoint, but it sucks up so damn much of my time. Well, this summer I can instead focus my energy on writing. I think that if I set a daily routine, I can get at least 75 pages written, maybe even a little more. Outside of a trip to Winnipeg to visit my favourite Canadian and hopefully her coming here for a visit, I plan on focusing on getting my dissertation close to finished and this damn albatross from around my neck. I will be on the job market in December, and I will be graduating next May. No more excuses, no roadblocks, no more bullshit. The opportunity is there waiting for me to grab it. Now, it is up to me. I’m thrilled and terrified all at the same time.