And. . .it's over!

Don't be sad that I got my Ph.D. I will keep the blog going, but the name will probably change!

So, for all of you who like the gory details, here is the play by play:

10:25- Arrive at BC. Find parking on the very top of the garage at the end of the row.

10:35- The room is locked. Sign on the door is hanging by just one corner.
10:36- Go to the Dean's office to get the key, while taking down signs advertising my defense from all walls (hoping people might forget).
10:38- Unlock room where there is a buffet table of moldy food from a Friday meeting. Ewwww.
10:40- Tech guys pulls down the projection screen to reveal green marker drawn circles (woops-- guess someone thought it was a white board).
10:45- Rearrange the room, so there are no objects to trip on and everyone can see the screen (and green marker).
10:45-11:00- Waiting. One of my committee members is a tad late.
11:00-11:35- Present.
11:35-12:45- Questions and Answers
12:45- Everyone leaves the room while the committee deliberates.
12:50- The door opens and they say "Welcome, Doctor!" They then told me that they wanted to pass me with distinction and they had no revisions. None of them had ever seen a dissertation before that did not require revisions.
1:20- Bottle of champagne consumed and I was leaving BC for the LAST TIME!!!!
2:30- Larry is awarded an honorary degree.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement. It means so much to me!!!! Please keep checking the blog. . .I know I will keep writing.

Stressing

I am sooooo close! My practice run through on Tuesday was a little over the time limit. But I feel like I have made significant changes and I should be ready to go on Monday. Currently, there is a pile of questions on the kitchen table that Larry can randomly draw from. This is to help me practice "thinking on my feet." If you didn't know it, this is one of the most important skills someone with a Ph.D. can have. I need to be prepared to demonstrate my competency in this area.

My biggest worry at this point is that if I don't pass, Larry may physically harm someone at BC. We need to come up with a plan for how to get him of campus in the event that things go terribly wrong. That would be bad!

Thank you all!

T-minus 34 hours minus 3.5 hours

Update:
Top Ten Things Left to Do:
1. Check all my citations for proper punctuation. DONE
2. Write a moving concluding paragraph to inspire reader(s). DRAFTED
3. Add the date to my title page. Still don't know what "the date you receive your degree not finish your dissertation means"
4. Add a table to the methods (if there is time). There was and it looks freakin' gorgeous.
5. Deactivate spelling and grammar checks so my committee doesn't see all the frickin "passive voice" Don't dare to just yet.
6. Reread my notes from my defense to be sure I have included special little gifts for each of my committee members (per their request) in my final draft. DONE they should be very happy with all of their suggestions I took.
7. Watch last week's episode of the Bachelorette so I am ready for this Monday. NOT YET
8. Be sure that the page numbers do not start until page 4- tricky! OH yes they do!
9. Remove all notes to my self within the text that are in blue. Have to check one more time.
10. Hit send. This is terrifying me.

T-minus 34 hours. . .

I am surprisingly calm right now. I am thinking about adding an extra table because I have so much time on my hands.
Top Ten Things Left to Do:
1. Check all my citations for proper punctuation.
2. Write a moving concluding paragraph to inspire reader(s).
3. Add the date to my title page.
4. Add a table to the methods (if there is time).
5. Deactivate spelling and grammar checks so my committee doesn't see all the frickin "passive voice" I use.
6. Reread my notes from my defense to be sure I have included special little gifts for each of my committee members (per their request) in my final draft.
7. Watch last week's episode of the Bachelorette so I am ready for this Monday.
8. Be sure that the page numbers do not start until page 4- tricky!
9. Remove all notes to my self within the text that are in blue.
10. Hit send.

In a little over 48 hours I will be hitting "send." And then the wait begins. I think it is adrenaline, but I am feeling energized and motivated and ready to tackle these last few details. I can't believe I am almost done. My to-do list fits on a post-it note. This is it! I will keep you posted as the next few hours unfold.

Future plans

With the end firmly fixed on the horizon, I have started thinking about the things I am going to do with all the time on my hands after I finish my degree. I welcome suggestions, but here is the beginning of the list

Top 10 Things to Do With Free Time After Completing Dissertation:
1. Read some novels.
2. Make cute cat videos for You Tube.
3. Get my 26-year old body back.
4. Take naps.
5. Carft time.
6. Find a place to live.
7. Water the plants.
8. Play some games.
9. Watch Lifetime movies all day on a Saturday.
10. Start thinking about my next degree.

Soon to come: "Top 10 Practical Uses for the Dissertation"

Progress

I am looking forward to a productive weekend. One of the last weekends I will spend working on this. I am heading to Boston so I know I will be able to work. I just need to finish my final chapter and then do some revisions on my results chapter. I am starting to get nervous that there is more I should be including. Whenever I read something new that applies it makes me think that I have not be thorough enough. I will be glad when this is over.
I reserved a room on campus for June 9 at 4:00 to do a run through to be sure I can present everything in the time I am given. I am looking for a few volunteers to listen to me and look really mean and then ask me questions after (I will even provide the questions). It will be good practice.

Let the coutdown begin

Things are coming together. I have almost officially set my date. I am waiting for one more response from a committee member That gives me two weeks to put the finishing touches on this and to get chapter 5 in order. I feel like I have done a lot of rearranging in the past few days and that is a little scary because somehow I feel like I may have lost some things. Now I just have to work on the transitions. I want to tell the story as clearly as possible. It feels good to have a set date (although I’ve really had it in my head all along). I can’t wait to get this thing done.

Maybe it is common to start having doubts as this point in the process, but I woke up this morning feeling like I don’t have a lot to say. I know that isn’t true, I have 200 pages to prove it, but I can’t help but think that it is not what I think it is. I trust my committee chair though. She has high expectations, so I don’t think she would lead me astray.

Relief is on the horizon.

And then there was one

Today is the day. I am going to hammer out my final chapter. I am still waiting for my revisions on chapter 4, which would really help me to know where to go in the last chapter. But I'm not mad. I will just assume that it was brilliant and there was nothing wrong with it and proceed with that in mind. Just two weeks until I can breathe a little and a month until this can all be behind me. Okay, time to buckle down.
Things within arm's reach:
1. Cold can of Pepsi
2. Blackberry (in case anyone needs to call me)
3. Computer (obviously)
4. Tissues (needed them yesterday)
5. Assortment of colored pens and highlighters
6. Chapstick
7. Notes to write chapter 5
8. Fork (to poke myself in the eye)
9. I-pod (loving Adele lately)
10. Easy button

Congrats

I am trying to stay calm right now, but I am two weeks away from needing to be done. My chapter four revisions have not come back yet and I am still waiting on them to really dive into chapter 5. I am really ready for this to be over. I am feeling stretched a little thin because it is that time of year when lots of things are going on and I can't say no to any of them. Right now I am about to head over to graduation to see some of our alums get their degrees. This is such a special day for them and what an accomplishment. I am so proud of all they have done and will do. Congratulations!

Current Status

Chapters complete: 4.3333
Pages: 179
Revisions: several
Days since last email from dissertaion chair: 13
Cans of Pepsi consumed today: 2
Minutes until massage appointment: 45
Papers on the floor of office: 41
Days until the final draft is due: 19
Remaining chapters: .6666
Average hours of sleep per night: 7.5

Addicted

I am addicted to making progress. I just finished chapter 3. I know, if you have been following along that I finished chapter 4 last week. . . Well, I wrote the first three chapters before I started data collection, so now that I am done I need to go back and write what I really did (not what I planned to do). So, today I worked on my methods chapter, going back and looking at the details and writing about rigor. I am now printing a copy and heading home to edit it. I can't wait to get this thing done with. I am about a month away!!!!!!

Margins

I haven't really been too concerned with the number of pages I am writing. However, when I just went to BC's website to look up some format regulations for tables, I discovered that my top and left hand margins need to be 1.5 inches. . .it felt good to add about 10 pages to my dissertation in a matter of seconds. Woohoo.
Things are coming together nicely. The methods chapter is being revised and Chapter 4 is almost ready to be sent to my committee for more revisions. The beautiful weather in Boston today really helped to keep me positive and focused.
We just ordered some Thai food and I am having a glass of wine to celebrate. Tomorrow it is back to Maine. . .I am sad, but motivated.

Chapter 4, draft 1 complete

I finished the first draft of Chapter 4!! It feels good, but I also know that I have to do some major rearranging because the format I started out with just didn't work for the whole thing. I am meeting with R today to discuss the layout. At least the content is done and on paper. Larry and I are going to start playing around with the order of things (when he wakes up). He is a great editor and a tremendous help. I think we are going to tackle it the old fashioned way. . .I am going to print out all 67 pages and we are going to take the scissors to it. This is one project the cats can not be part of. They would just love to roll around on all those pages!
More to come later. . .