the thesis is out of my hands

And what a relief that is! I can’t express how good it felt to stuff those 85-page stacks o’ paper into each committee member’s box. It’s not that I got sick of my topic (I didn’t), it’s that I’m ready to move on to the next thing – which happens to be moving to Europe in three weeks. I’m not completely done, as the defense remains, but I’m looking forward to that. I know my thesis isn’t perfect, but I also happen to know a lot more about my topic than my committee. So, I’m looking forward to answering their questions.

My advisor told me that each professor has 20 minutes to ask me any questions they want to, and that’s it. No presentation, no pretty handouts, just me and my research. I think I can handle that just fine.