The coming month or so is Dissertation Completion Crunch Time (side question: doesn’t it feel like I have been working on this for approximately seventeen years? I can barely wait one more fucking SECOND to be done with it so I can stop sitting at desks all day and start losing the dissertation weight, which is kind of like pregnancy weight except less socially acceptable).
ANYWAY. It is crunch time. I hate that expression, but there you go. I have been working on the damned thing all weekend and my brain is currently the intellectual equivalent of tapioca pudding. I have had to come to the realization — or, rather, I have had to finally admit the long-known fact — that my usual attitude toward academic scheduling is not going to work if I am going to get this finished on time.
Normally, I like to treat this business as an 8-5 job, after which I can either go out, or come home in the evenings and watch far too much TV while effectively clearing my head of the day’s travails. A long walk with the dog, a couple of glasses of wine, and a dose of whatever J.J. Abrams show I am currently addicted to — these are the things I prefer to do if I’m spending the evening at home. I surely do not like to spend yet more hours at a desk thumbing through theory books and staring at the same goddamned Word document that’s been open somewhere in the background of my desktop for, like, eighty billion years.
Although I have a lovely home-office set-up happening in my new apartment, it still sort of pains me that I have to use it. I know, I know, my life is hard. Woe is me. I have officially quit for the night, though, and it is not yet midnight. Maybe there is time for some relaxification before bed?
P.S. Now that I have declared this blog officially up and running again after my long semi-hiatus period of limbo and confusion, I am trying to update my links and such again. Have I missed something? Have I missed you? Let me know. Also, since so many of my old favorite blogs seem to be defunct now, do you have any recommendations for me?
Raveling Out 
Just think though, once it’s done you can sit back, relax, drink pinot for entire evenings and weekends, and grade papers while drunk. Surely that’s worth skipping a social life of any description for a month or two?
I would also advise having at least one full night a week of debauchery though. For mental health reasons.
True, true. I had just, somehow, hoped that my “diligent” 8-5 scheduling philosophy would prevent me from having to neglect my social life. Pfft.
I also agree on the one night’s debauchery — maybe even two!
Hey, I think I should get my blog going again. I took a plunge into summer and am just now coming up for air.
Like the fact you got a new site going.
Yes, definitely, you should! You left everybody hanging there with your tales of dating adventures!