finish the dissertation

This goal is not done yet, because I have to make modifications, but I defended successfully today! Hooray!

Is it 100% done? No. Do I still have stuff to do on both the paper and talk? Lots. However, the date is set. August 6, 1 PM. For better or for worse, the defense will be done.

this might get done! I still have plenty of edits left to make, but my harshest dissertation critic says I’ve got a dissertation here, and he’s about ready to sign off on it! I’m trying to schedule my defense for early August. Still so much to do with edits and band tour and eventually a family trip, but this would be huge.

Of course, sadly, I have to fill in extension paperwork because I’ve been a grad student (technically) for 9 years now (including the three years I’ve been away). That is sad. But finishing this will feel so very good… I won’t know what to do with myself!

By the end of next week, I hope to have finished a large chunk of the new stuff and edits I need for the lit review! Still lots to do, but this is one goal I’m starting to feel better about.

Still sad that I could have had this done three years ago.

Two and a half months with no entries here? Well, I still have my books, but work on this hit a standstill (as it always seems to) last semester.

This semester will be better, hopefully. I signed up to wear doctoral robes at graduation, so there’s one reason (other than the fact I will continue to hate myself if I don’t) to finish.

I just don’t know how. In explaining it to people, I tell them it isn’t much, but it really feels like it is.

I was worried I’d need to go to a university library (a univ. I don’t attend) and get books. You see, I was told once upon a time that I would not need to cite certain old and influential books directly.

However, upon turning in my thesis draft, the powers that be decided I needed to write for a more “introductory” audience (they are working on a chapter introducing people to epistemological research and they probably wanna use my stuff). Therefore, I need to look at these not-available-online books. I ordered them a week and a half ago, and they just arrived.

I don’t know when I can finish this crap, but at least now I have copies in my hand of stuff I’ll be citing.

This is still hard, though, because my job takes much of my energy and fun things take up the rest.

:(

Got another review, this time from my committee head. Overall, it was very positive. However, he suggests a huge major fix is needed on a completely different chapter.

So right now, I’ve got one person who mostly likes my thesis besides chapter 2, and one who mostly likes my thesis besides chapter 5. Guess which one will need the big rewrite? If you guessed “both of them,” you win the prize: a mallet with which to club me over the head.

I don’t know the details yet, but at least one chapter will need a huge huge overhaul. I saw this coming, but it’s still depressing to hear it.

Bad day all around, actually. Maybe I can move toward my car acquiring goal.

I’ve sent a draft of the whole dissertation to my boss. If he doesn’t think it’s too embarrassing, I’ll send it to the committee! Of course, there are one or two small fixes it still needs, to say nothing of the edits my committee will make me do…

but yeah! It really looks about done! 130 odd pages of normal stuff and another 230 of appendices (interviews, surveys, other good stuff).

I sent off another draft to the boss today, this time complete with reorganized literature review. I’ve also put some of the essentials on a USB drive and my laptop so I can go out of town this week (possibly) and finish up some stuff.

There always seems like a ton left to do, but I like the idea that all my substantive chapters have gone through at least one set of edits, there isn’t much more to add besides some details and appendices, and now the reference sections are taking shape. I’ve got 115 pages now (no appendices), and will be over 125 for sure when all is said and done.