final defense

In 12 hours, Emily will be giving her final defense, the final and seemingly largest step toward the goal of a Master's degree.

She is in panic mode.  Trust me; I know.  'How do you know?', you may ask.  Simple.  I can sum it up in 3 statements: 1) I've been there, done that, 2) she is giving her final defense in 12 hours!!!, and 3) in 13 hours the feeling of 'Oh my, I did it!  But, wait...now what do I do?  Can I just, maybe like, stay in school for a little longer until I figure out what I'm going to do with my life?!?!??!?!  PLEASE, Mr. President!'

 

Earlier this week I received a text message saying this:

'This is me officially inviting (begging?) you to come to my defense.  It's 9 am Friday.  Hope you're still alive in Lubbock'  

(I will discuss my experience in Lubbock in a blog to be posted soon!)

Of course I will be there.  I have been planning on it since the early days of my unemployment.  I also want to see what it's like on this side of the degree; I do not envy her one bit!

Like I said, her final defense is in 12 hours.  This means that I have gotten some pretty panicked messages this past week.  In the past 24 hours I have received emails & texts such as the following:

• omgyespleasecomesoon.  [pronounced as it looks and spoken in one breath]
• i would have caps locked that but i'm trying to conserve energy  ['CAPS' on a Mac must require more than the push of one button...]
• i still don't have a thesis statement.  [Ummmmm...well, dear, we need to get you one]
• i'm ready to give up. and quit. :(  [To which I responded with the best sisterly advice I had: 'You cannot quit and will NOT quit.  YOU ARE ALMOST THERE!!!!!  AND THEN WE CAN HAVE MATCHING DIPLOMAS IN OUR APARTMENT :)]
• oh i also will come up with some things that you might need to bring.  [typical]
• IM STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT IM DOING? And im thinking of getting a tray of chicken minis.???  [Believe it or not, these two statements actually do go together.]
• READ BEFORE YOU LEAVE if possible, could you run by hobby lobby at home and buy black mat board?  [I knew I would have emails from you when I woke up at 6:30 this morning.]
• THANK YOU FOR COMING OMG SERIOUSLY  [Awwww...I do feel loved, even if I am being used lol]
• Im at school.  You ned to mount all of my pics.  Havent started yet...not sure how to get you here though.  Parking wise...  [What to address here?...The too-many-to-count-typos?  The demands of my little sister?  Sisterly accommodations?]
• Sounds good.  I owe you. :)  [I didn't volunteer to help for something in return but rumor has it that I will be getting a pedicure :)]

Yes, that's right.  Completing a Master's degree will bring you to a state of delirium you only thought was possible with the assistance of illegal substance abuse and poor hygiene.  And it doesn't happen over night.  No, it sneaks up on you like the age of 22.  Master's Delirium occurs after semesters striving for the grades, months of not knowing what your professor is requesting of you, weeks of eating 10,000 calories worth of junk food from the vending machines, days spent dreaming of life outside of the building, hours of sleep lost each and every night, and 20 minute power naps taken in the 'Hulu Hut'.  The change happens so slowly that by the end of your tenure you think that you are normal and everyone on the outside world is living in a time warp.

Once again, I've been there, done that.  I went back to the mass email that I sent out 18 hours before my own final defense:

Hello!!!

I hope everyone is doing well!  Currently I am sitting in front of my computer waiting for boards to be sent to the printer and transitioning into the model constructing mind-set.  I just wanted to send a quick email to you all asking for your prayers for the next day or so, not just for myself but for everyone else that is surrounding me here in this 40' x 40' glass box of a room that we have called home for the past 2.5 months.  Stress levels are high, computers are crashing, and waistlines are expanding as we sit here hour after hour pushing ahead with the anticipation of G-Day (Graduation).  Thank you all for your prayers and support for the last 3 years...so far, they have been the most difficult yet.  I am glad I did it, but please don't joke (or think about joking) about my returning to school any time soon; or ever for that matter....at least for the first 5 months post-graduation!

Presentations for all of the 2nd year Master's students begin tomorrow at 9:00 and go for the next 2 days.  I present at 12:00 TOMORROW!!!  (Notice I scheduled a time after 11:00 in hopes that I will be up, dressed, and present for my own review!)

I hope you are having a wonderful week and I look forward to joining you on the other side of sanity, communication, and free nights and weekends...I'm starting to sound like a cell phone carrier...

ellen

Emily's Master' Delirium Quote of the Day:  I'm emotionless right now.  [Not to be confused with motionless!]  I'm thinking about crying, but I won't.  I thought about it earlier.  But then I didn't.

Well, I promised I wouldn't be gone from my framing and matting duties too long.  It's probably also time to go fill her water cup.

Congratulations, Emily!  You got this!!!  You are almost there and you can join me on the other side of the diploma!  It's getting lonesome in the Paycheck-less Pirogue!!!