Another Anniversary

One year ago today, I defended my dissertation and became Dr. Eddleman. I don't think I've quite recovered yet.

Hooding in Mississippi

I'm headed to Ole Miss to be hooded tonight. It's kind of anticlimactic, since I defended my dissertation on July 15, 2009 and was considered an August '09 graduate, but they only have one ceremony a year, and I didn't want to miss it. I also can't wait to see some friends I haven't seen in nearly a year. My husband and I have decided to make a weekend out of it. I love Oxford, and any excuse to spend a little time there works for me.

What Relief Looks Like

L to R: Dr. Ronald Schroeder, Dr. Natalie Schroeder, me, Dr. Colby Kullman

(Not pictured is my fourth committee member, Dr. Ralph Braseth,

who kindly commemorated the event for me.)

This picture was taken right after defending my dissertation at Ole Miss last Wednesday afternoon. I was confident that the defense had gone well, but I have to admit that I was still pretty nervous as I sat in the hallway outside Bondurant C208 while my committee conferred. When Dr. Schroeder opened the door, smiled, and said to me, "Congratulations, Dr. Eddleman," it was a pretty amazing thing.

Time to Celebrate

I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for me a big piece of paper from the University of Mississippi (that I plan to frame) and the right to put "PhD" after my name.

I'm celebrating. You're welcome to join me.

Then I'm gonna rest for a while.

If I remember how.

4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . .

Prayers, good wishes, positive vibes, and happy thoughts deeply appreciated! The defense starts at 1:30. I'll let you know how it goes.

The Hurrieder I Go, The Behinder I Get

This past week has been jam-packed with way too much to do. Necessary things. Things I simply cannot ignore. I'm leaving today for the CSC in Nashville, and this is all the stuff I had to get done in the last week:

1. Write the paper that I'm presenting at the CSC

2. Read Gilead because Marilynne Robinson will be a plenary speaker

3. Make minor corrections to my dissertation, proofread the Works Cited page (again), and get the finished version back to my director

4. Prepare to teach a class on "Images of Women in Literature," which I taught on Friday afternoon

5. Prepare for Honors Symposium.

6. Re-read Frankenstein before I teach it at Honors Symposium.

7. Shop for and prepare a nice Father's Day meal

8. Start teaching Honors Symposium on Monday

9. Download and fill out a bunch of graduation-related paperwork, drive to Ole Miss and run around campus, handing in one form here, picking something up there, taking it to another office on the other side of campus, paying fees, etc., and jumping through all necessary hoops prior to the defense, then driving home (same day)

10. Submit an essay for a critical edition of Mansfield Park

11. Pack for the CSC

That doesn't even count things like laundry. Boy, I'm tired.

Can You See Me Smiling?

I found out yesterday that my dissertation advisor has approved my revised dissertation. Now, it goes to the rest of my committee, but I don't foresee any problems there. We're shooting for a mid-July defense.

If I'm this happy now, just imagine how ecstatic I'll be after the defense.

The long-awaited Ceremonial Note-Card Burning is drawing closer.

Nose Back to the Grindstone

For once, I had impeccable timing. On Saturday, I read the last page of Breaking Dawn, then walked out to get my mail, only to discover a packet from my dissertation director with revision suggestions. I knew it was coming. I'd just been trying to push the thought to the back of my mind while I enjoyed a couple of weeks of recreational reading.

Of course, I would have loved to have opened it up and read the words, "It's perfect! You're done!" but I'm not that naive. Actually, it wasn't that bad. He gave me two choices. He said that my committee would accept it with minor cosmetic revisions, BUT he thought it had the possibility of being an exceptional dissertation if I'd make the revisions he suggested in a seven page letter and detailed marginal comments. The question is, he said, "How good do you want to make it?"

Aaaaaarrrrgggghhhh. Having a Type A personality costs you.

A friend whom I really respect and who has already been through this process told me early in my doctoral studies to remember that I don't have to write the perfect dissertation; I just have to get four signatures and the diploma. And he's right. I have no illusions of being able to write the perfect dissertation and I'm really ready to get that diploma. But I don't want to finish by doing the least amount of work possible. I want four signatures, the diploma, and the satisfaction of a job well done.

So now I'm looking at about a month of revision, and every day as I sit down to work I can think of about a million things I'd rather be doing. My self discipline is wearing thin.

Not There Yet

OK. I know I'm not finished. I have to wait for feedback from my committee, make the necessary revisions, and the defend the final version.

But, man, it sure feels good to have a little bit of time without any doctoral work hanging over my head. As soon as classes were over last spring, I began preparing for written comps. As soon as written comps were over, I began preparing for oral comps. After passing them, I began working on the dissertation prospectus. As soon as it was successfully defended, I began work on the actual dissertation. Sure, I've taken a few days off here and there, but not without that guilty feeling that I really should be working.

This is the first time in a year that I simply can't do anything. At least not until I hear back from them. Ahhhhh.

Fessin' Up

After yesterday’s Liar, Liar post, I started thinking. I’ve already listed for you the books I’m embarrassed I haven’t read. And I told you that, although I might stay really quiet during a conversation about a book I haven’t read and hope everyone just assumes I’ve read it, I don’t outright lie about it. But, like the preachers say, you can be guilty of the sin of omission.

When I was a young reader, I remember hiding a few books I was reading—Go Ask Alice, Mr. and Mrs. Bojo Jones, The Exorcist—feeling pretty sure my parents wouldn’t be happy with my choice. But maybe that’s something you don’t grow out of.

During the first semester of my doctoral studies at Ole Miss, I took a Studies in Romanticism class. It was great. We read classics from the British Romantic era and compared them with modern representations of that time—rewrites, movies, copy-cat genres, etc. The purpose was to compare actual representations, themes, and artistic intents of that era’s authors with modern perceptions of that time.

But one thing we were assigned to read was a historical romance novel set in that time period. And it was a real bodice ripper. The professor was even embarrassed. He admitted he’d committed the cardinal sin of teachers—assigning something he hadn’t read or previewed. He was searching for something in that genre, someone suggested this one, and since he had so much else to do, he just took their word for it.

The problem for me? It was part of a series. The heroine was a twin, and the novel ended with the twin’s romance beginning. And of course you know what I did. Yep, I read the whole series. It was embarrassing, but I just couldn’t help it. I bought them in secret and attempted to keep the covers hidden, but one day my husband saw one and said, “What in the world is that? It doesn’t look like what you usually read.”

He’s right. It wasn’t. But man, you can learn a lot in doctoral studies.