oh yeah!

The few people who follow this blog probably already know this already, but I figure an update is in order. Submitted final(ish) draft on Wednesday, after pulling my first all-nighter since undergrad. Yes, Wednesday at 8:30 a.m., not having slept since Monday night, I printed off the beast and went to bed--for three hours. Then I got up, showered, and set off to get it bound so I could submit it to our grad office. This got everything official in motion to set the defense date, which will be Monday, June 18 at 2 p.m.. At U of T, PhD defenses are not public, so it will be me, my committee and two additional examiners, both of whom I actually know. Should be okay. So, about that final(ish) draft. I was facing crunch time because I leave for Corner Brook on June 21, and I needed to submit my thesis seven weeks before the exam. My supervisor suggested I submit what I had and then take the weekend to really finish it, as the exam copy doesn't need to be distributed to the exam committee until six weeks before (which will be this coming Monday). So I still have a few days of work to do, but it's at the tweaking stage, so I'm not stressed about it. I'm thinking I will be done by tomorrow  (Saturday). Then I can get all the copies printed and bound on Sunday and maybe even go to a movie!!! Under the advisement of one of my friends who defended in the fall, I am taking a week away from the thesis after Monday. I am going to Body Blitz spa on Tuesday with one of my girlfriends. It's a women-only water spa. The big feature is a circuit of pools at varying temperatures, with different types of water (including green tea!). It's really good for circulation, your lymph system, and detoxing. You can also get massages and other face and body treatments, but I'm saving my money for an organic juice cleanse, which will be prepared and delivered daily by Belmonte Raw. I have so much to detox from now--the crap food I've been eating on the run to get me through this last month and all of the emotional stuff the PhD brings. Taking time for ME before settling in to prepare for the oral exam and for teaching this summer.

Yes--teaching this summer. A few days after the defense, I will be heading to Corner Brook for just over six weeks to teach a summer course at MUN's Grenfell campus. I'll be teaching elementary music methods for BEd students, and I think it will be a great time! I will be on my own, without a tv, so I'll have lots of time to get the PhD out of my system, read a bit of fiction, and prepare a paper for my trip to Helsinki at the end of August.

And then, who knows... Not sure what 2012-13 is going to bring yet. Not stressing about it for now. Still time for some sessional work to (hopefully) fall in place. Since I won't have the guilt and pressure of the thesis hanging over me, I've been applying to universities outside of Toronto, but commutable by train, as well as U of T. So we'll see...

I suppose my next update will be post-defense. Stay tuned!