Thirsting for Knowledge. Also for Champagne.

Today I did it.

I combined all of my chapters and works cited and the introduction and the coda (read: fancy academic speak for conclusion) into one document.

One 226 page document.

Holy crap, folks.  I wrote a book.

It made me nervous putting it all into one document.  It felt...  final.  Horribly real.  Real scary.

Like, I'm about to get a defense date.

How will I prepare?  What will I say?  What will I wear?

My mantra:  The defense is merely an intellectual exercise, not a demonstration of my self worth.

That sentence is helping me keep the defense in perspective.

After all, it will only last about an hour and a half.  I told David last night that I figure I can survive just about anything for an hour and a half.  Anything but, perhaps, a shark attack.  Except maybe if I had a knife on me I could survive a shark attack.  But, as David pointed out, I would get really tired of swimming after an hour and a half.  So I'd probably need a knife and a life jacket.  Seems like defending a dissertation would be much easier.

See?  See how I am keeping things in perspective?

And once it's over?  Then it's all champagne and roses and a ticker tape parade and everybody bowing to me and kissing my hand and calling me "Doctor."

OK, maybe not the bowing part.  Perhaps I am confusing the PhD with the coronation of royalty.

My brain must be addled from staring at the computer screen and drinking too much tea.  I can't believe this process is almost over.