Seven Quick Takes: Astonished Edition

1. In the wee small hours of yesterday morning, I sent the dissertation off to my committee. They have two weeks to read it, and then on March 10 they will convene. I will present for about an hour and they will grill me for about an hour, and then they will decide whether or not I pass. Passing is the most likely outcome. My advisor wouldn't have let me proceed if she had any doubts, because it would be really bad for her tenure case if I failed and also because she is a really kind person who would never set me up for failure. Me, though, I am seizing the opportunity to be doubtful because that's how my anxious little brain seems to operate. Part of me can't believe it: I wrote a dissertation. I'm almost finished with my Ph.D.
2. To celebrate I went out and bought sock yarn. Two skeins, because I know how to live it up. Then I came home and organized my yarn. (My husband is going to sigh a sad little sigh when he reads that part. Right now our house looks like its keeper has been completing a dissertation and mothering five children, with not much time to spare for filing or culling magazines or tidying the back entryway where the feral shoes are nesting and plotting house-wide hegemony. There are many things that need organizing around here, and the yarn was not what you'd call a pressing organizational need. But it makes me happy to have my stash organized.)
3. It is perhaps a little wacky that I then made myself a knitting to-do list. I have been doing the Ravelympics (because hey, wrapping up a dissertation isn't enough to fill my time here in the last half of February), and I am going to have to sprint to the finish line. I am making a little Tomten Jacket and while I have all kinds of embellishments in mind for it (applied I-cord edging! afterthought pockets! little felt flowers appliqued around the bottom!), I am going to be happy to get the seams sewn and the zipper in by Sunday evening when the Olympics end. 
4. All this time spent writing and revising has made me weary of the sound of my own voice. It also makes me glad I'm not writing a dissertation in the humanities! Kudos to Lilian and blogless Rachel (who should totally start a blog) -- I don't think I could do it. I had good intentions about replying to all of your encouraging comments (I still have good intentions about that), but I was tired of hearing myself yammer on. And on.
5.  I am struck by the irony of continuing to blog when I am complaining about the sound of my own voice.
6. And when my house looks like its organizational scheme was dreamed up by Cornish pixies run amok. (Was it Cornish pixies that wreaked havoc in Chamber of Secrets?)
7. So we'll make these last takes really really quick. Thank you, everybody, for all of your encouragement. It's been such a help to me.

Comments

[Sarah]

You know, I never imagined you as someone who had something as indulgent as a stash of yarn. I always pictured you working on a project, finishing the project, then going on to procure yarn for the next project. Perhaps that is because most of my stash has come into being because I have well-intentioned projects that never came to pass because another project (or twelve)came along and usurped its place in line. I am delighted to know that you have a stash, too.

What is your Ravelry name? I'd love to see the projects you've completed!

[Lilian]

Aww, thanks for the mention! You don't need to comment back anymore.

Congratulations on the scheduled date, dissertation sent, and everything. I'm really, really happy for you! You totally deserve it! And yes, you don't ever want to get a phd in the humanities. I don't think any sane people with their wits about them should :-).

Anyway... congrats on all the knitting too. I could never do that either. :-(

As for the messy house, mine is not in much better shape, believe me. And if this is any consolation, I have only two kids. :-)

Have a wonderful weekend!

[JeCaThRe]

It was freshly caught Cornish pixies that caused all the mayhem. Hermione used a freezing spell, which the movie rendered as "Immobilus!"

I've often wished it worked on my boys, or the dog.

Congratulations on being one step closer.

[Jamie]

I'm mostgladly on Ravelry, mostgladly on Twitter. See you there!

I don't have a big stash of yarn I've bought myself -- I have yarn purchased for 4 or 5 non-sock projects and something under a kilo of waiting sock yarn. But my mother gave me a yarn club membership for Christmas and those 100g hanks of sportweight had been niggling at me. Pretty colors, but what to do with them??

What takes up as much space as the yarn awaiting my attention is the odds and ends from old projects. Someday I'll wind up doing one of those crazy sock yarn afghans.

[rachel]

Very glad to hear that your time is spent with frivolous, unjustifiable pretty yarn-things. Me, I organized all the cut out recipes and made complicated multi-step meals in the post-partum weeks. Kind of the same, no? Anyway, evidently we're happy to hear you yammering...