Did I mention the dissertation?

You know.....the one I'm defending next week? Indeed, I'm defending a week from tomorrow, and it all feels very anticlimactic. Not sure why, but it feels like I should be really stressed and anxious, yet I'm not. I've been thinking about this project for years--literally--and I feel like I've always been thinking about the "so what" question in the back of my mind. In fact, the longer I worked on it and read the work in the field, the more clearly my work has distinguished itself in my mind. I still have an enormous amount of insecurity about it (I call it dissertation envy...How long is yours?), but I think I will forever be insecure about my work. But, insecure doesn't mean unprepared to answer questions.

Crazy as it sounds, I think I'm more excited about getting to see my friends and have some alone time with my Mom, who is driving down from Home State, than I am defending the diss! Being halfway around the world certainly adds some perspective as to what matters, and I can't wait to have dinner, drinks, and conversation with the people I miss the most!