Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast

The U Wants My 52 Cents (and Other Post-PhD Updates)

What a wonderful few days! Friday I received my final billing statement from the University. This semester I only had to register for empty, zero-fee credits for this semester and I had already paid my library fines, so I was not worried or anything. But imagine my surprise when I found that I had a credit on my account! Fifty two cents, to be exact!

Then Sunday--a gorgeous day of warmth and sunshine following days and days of cold and rain--my mother safely arrived in town from Dallas and my father safely from Indianapolis.

In the case of my father, however, without his wallet. (You have no idea how difficult it is to find the correct number to call for lost and found at airports and airlines.)

Anyway, Monday afternoon I successfully defended my dissertation. More people than I expected came to the presentation. My father counted 24. (And snapped a photograph of every single one of them. But that is another story!) Minus my four committee members (who had to be there), and my parents, that is a pretty good turnout.

(Oh! And while I was setting up the laptop for the presentation, my father got a call on his cell phone: His wallet had been found, turned into MSP airport security, and everything--including cash--was intact!)

The meeting with my committee members following the public portion of the defense went very well. Turns out, the revisions I need to make to the dissertation are relatively minor. I plan to knock those out as soon as possible while my motivation and momentum are still high.

Yesterday I turned in my official graduate school paperwork. There had been a snag with one of the forms: The graduate school had typed in my correct first and middle names, but gave me the last name of another defending PhD student whose first name is also Yvette. (And who, coincidently, I happened to know.) That had previously been resolved through multiple phone calls to multiple offices: my defense chair received permission to cross out the incorrect name and write in my correct one. (But had it been necessary/quicker I was prepared to legally change my name to match the form.) I thought that upon seeing the form with the crossed out and edited name, the person receiving it would object. And I had failed to get the name of the person who gave my committee member permission to change the form.

But the woman at the desk didn't even blink. She merely stamped the form and congratulated me!

I then visited my new office where I'll be post-doc-ing (the key they issued me works!), and attended a lovely luncheon.

Then today I received my first invitation to join the U alumni association. The alumni association--I am now an alum! I can start making legacy gifts to the University and whatnot! Unfortunately all I have now to donate is that 52-cent credit. But it was nice to receive the email just the same.

THANK YOU to everyone who came to the presentation, who has supported me over these years, and who wished me well over the last few weeks. I feel a great sense of satisfaction and relief. But in a way I also wish I could rewind the clock and start over again at about the point of the last few writing weeks or so. I know that sounds crazy. But it's like when you're at an amusement park and you're waiting in a 3-hour line for the ultimate roller coaster and you can't wait to ride, but it seems you'll never get there and it's hot and uncomfortable and your feet hurt and some of the people smell funny, then you do get there to those stalls right in front of the tracks behind the thick yellow line and then the next car comes and you actually get into the ride it is finally your turn!

And then the whole thing is over in three minutes.

That's how it is for me. I barely remember the presentation or my meeting with the committee afterwards. Oh well. I know it must have happened. Everyone tells me so.

And now the next chapter begins. Several folks have commented that the subtitle of this blog is no longer accurate. That is true. I have no idea what purpose SITBB might serve now that I am no longer on that particular journey through that particular looking glass. But since I've grown kind of attached to this space, I'm sure I'll think of something. So, please stay tuned.

In the meantime, know that if I can make it through this journey, it is certainly not impossible for you!

Posted by perry032 at September 27, 2006 08:59 AM | TrackBack
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