Let the countdown begin…

Currently, I am less than four hours away from my thesis defense. I have four hours to prepare for the impending fate that awaits me in the small den of torture also known as the “research library.”  I have no clue what a defense is supposed to look like (just like I had no clue what a thesis was at the beginning of this semester). For all I know, I could be four hours away from a fencing match where my advisors are all dressed in the appropriate garb relentlessly trying to spear me. The winner of this fencing match would be the committee member that strikes the closest to my heart when they shatter the countless hours I’ve spent caressing this keyboard until all hours of the night. Great, now my love life is in shambles to the point where I can effortlessly describe writing my thesis as a “caressing” of my laptop keyboard. Woof. There is going to be some serious social damage after this process is done. Anyways, back to the point of how I have no clue what to expect. When I asked for advice from my thesis chair I was told that snacks would be a good idea. However, with vegan members on this committee I had no choice on the degree of flavor that would be present in these snacks. So I will be giving them chocolate cupcakes that taste like silly putty. “Here you go scholars, here is a chocolate brick to get you in the mood to verbally vomit on me.” I am sure no one will get through even one of those shards of terror…If they do it will only be a matter of time before we need to “take a short break” (if you know what I mean).

War time is now t minus 3 1/2 hours. I know that this is just one of two formal battles that must take place before the war on communication academia may be settled once and for all. If I come out limping, just know that it’s going to take more than cookie dough and hugs to get me on thesis path again. Grad school is not for the faint of heart.

 

~JB