I Got the Green Light

Just wanted to share that I officially got the green light from my dissertation committee to revise and file by summer's end! Omg you don't know what a relief that is. It's also exciting. I AM ALMOST DONE WITH THIS! Plus it's quite validating personally. I'd forgotten that I'm actually good at doing certain things, which gave me pleasure, a long time ago, before settling down and having a kid. And more importantly, it's also a reminder that these things -- raising a child and pursuing my love of writing/researching -- don't have to be mutually exclusive.... Of course, I knew that in theory, but not necessarily in practice.

Again, this is not an academic blog; I'm just journaling (part of) the journey. And if you're like me, you probably like to know how things end.

(BTW, currently finishing up the Hunger Games trilogy, in preparation for watching the second film in the franchise. Almost done with the last book, which I find the most interesting so far. Most of the people in my life like the last book the least, but then, I'm fascinated by politics.)

More to come soon on how my June went. I'm still editing vacation photos. Happy last night of June.

xo, Gladys

P.S. This also happened in June! Not as exciting as getting my dissertation green-lighted, but definitely a highlight. LOLNERD

Full Draft of Dissertation Done!

Here's another Wordle to celebrate another finished chapter! I confess, it's not as good as the last one I finished (it's also quite a bit shorter). BUT it is the last chapter ... which means that I officially have a full draft of my dissertation! It's kind of a milestone for me. I hope this means I'll get the green light to finish my degree in the next two months, but seriously, even if my advisers think I need a few more months to polish it up, I still have a book-length manuscript under my belt. (Wow, I just reread that sentence and it boggled my mind.) That's a first time for me. Basically, now I know I can finish that novel. (NaNoWriMo 2014, here I come!)

Here's something else I wanted to share that I'm kinda proud of *_*:

I managed this about four days ago while I was on a break from writing (oh, all right, while I was procrastinating). I may or may not have gotten so excited that I started whooping and yelling around the house. I've only broken 2048 the one time but ever since then I've gotten close almost every time. Weird how that works. 2048 is such an addictive game. My brain likes it very much. The person who invented it is a genius. Oh, and there's also a Benedict Cumberbatch + otters version, but I'm always so distracted by the photos that I can't do a very good job.... ;-)

ETA: Here's a better 2048 with BC. I love the otters but this one has GIFs!

xo, Gladys