In My Defense

It was pointed out in the comments of my last post by the lovely Danielle that I should update the graduation situation. The status of Operation: Graduation Determination, if you will.

My committee meeting went well.

I defend my dissertation May 13th.

I graduate Memorial Day weekend.

Yay!

(There is plenty of work yet to do. I saw my boss this morning and she said, "I'm getting to your chapters now. I wasn't worried about you because you are a good writer." Tonight I got the comments back on my first chapter. There was no praise of my writing. Ha. It will be good by the time I'm finished though.)

Read more...

Knock on Wood

The lotion I have at my desk is almost gone.
I think it's time for me to graduate!

What gloves should we order?
Actually I may not be around long enough to outlast this case.
I think it's time for me to graduate!

Could it be that this is my last time amplifying DNA?
I think it's time for me to graduate!

Summer's coming to the lab. Closed toed shoes in stifling heat.
But...I won't be here.
I think it's time for me to graduate!

I hope this buffer lasts. I never want to make it again.
I think it's time for me to graduate!

We could take this project down a whole side road. But...
I think it's time for me to graduate!

I have a draft of my dissertation. It's still rough.
Cat tongue rough. Shark skin rough. 3 day beard rough.
Bully stealing your lunch money rough.
But it will be fixed.
I think it's time for me to graduate!

I have a committee meeting on Friday.
The big one.
The one before the defense.
The one where they (hopefully) say,
"Yes! Schedule a date! Defend!"
I think it's time for me to graduate!

Nothing's sure, of course.
I've seen it too many times.
Rug ripped from under an excellent student.
But I'm starting my clinical rotations in June.
Come hell or high water.
I think it's time for me to graduate!

Read more...

Sculpt

I haven't been taking my camera along on my latest escapades, so a pic from last summer will have to do. But trust me that there are good times being had in SoCal. I'm just not documenting them.

And then there are the rest of the times. The between-the-good-times times. Otherwise known as most of the time.

You may know (from facebook or real life) that I am having a great deal of trouble caring (giving a rat's ass, giving a shit, giving a flying fuck, etc.) about my projects at the lab. I am so ready to be done, and it feels like the lab work and the writing I need to be doing is sucking my soul. It sucks. My soul. Away. And it is hard to spend full time and then some working on something you just aren't interested in.

But today I had an epiphany. I may be burned out. I may not really care about the research. But I DO care about graduating. I AM interested in graduating. So when the mundane is dragging me down, I have to focus on what it is that I want. To get what I want, I have to put one foot ahead of the other, work on the tasks at hand, and focus my desire on the end, which is definitely looming in sight.

Eyes on the prize.

PS: Today is a palindrome; did you notice? 01.11.10

Read more...

San Jacinto

You should be jealous of my weekend plans.

Actually, what SHOULD happen is that I should be working hard and doing nothing enviable at all other than slaving away all weekend towards earning the laudatory doctorate degree. But that's not what's going to happen. I worked hard all week, so I deserve it, right? Right. Back to the grind Monday.

Now I'm off to bed. (I know, I know, you're thinking, "Going to bed at 10:30 on a Friday night? That's nothing to be jealous of!" But this isn't the fun part yet.)

Read more...

So I actually have to post stuff here, it doesn't magically happen?

I've been working very hard this week to be a good graduate student--staying late, getting and reading papers, catching up on my lab notebook, etc.

I want to graduate. I need to graduate. You have no idea. I have been struggling with major research burnout this year, but now the fear is beginning to kick in. The fear is a major motivator for me. Crunch time is where I thrive. It's December already? BRING IT ON, BITCHES. This PhD is gonna be mine.

Read more...