A LOT to cover in the last 4 weeks, so grab a comfy seat, plant your feet, and prep your eyeballs.
SONG INSPIRATION
This month’s blog is inspired by Kirk Franklin’s “I smile”. I don’t normally subscribe to gospel, but this song is an uplifting bop.
DEFENSE
A couple of weeks ago, I defended my PhD. It was my second defense presentation. That’s all I got. Seriously, I’m still processing my emotions. I practiced the presentation once a day every day for 6 days leading up to my defense. In the immediate aftermath, I felt unburdened and exhausted. As time has passed, I’ve detached from that day – my recollection has grown blurrier. Don’t get me wrong. I’m proud of my accomplishment. Not to mention the impending finale of 7 years of graduate school. But it hasn’t dawned on me. I’ve always been that way with major accomplishments – whether it’s high school graduation, college graduation, etc. I don’t tend to make a fuss, even with myself. For those reasons, I didn’t actively publicize my defense. I’m only reporting it here because it is a major life event and a hard-earned effort. Regardless, I was touched by the amount of support I received from friends and family given the virtual nature of the presentation. More importantly, I’m happy it’s over. I now have time to loosen my belt and revise my dissertation over the next couple of months.
DISSERTATION
I busted my ass writing and revising my dissertation in the weeks leading up to my defense. Now that I’ve defended, I have a little under two months to incorporate my committee’s edits and submit my revised dissertation to the graduate college. Then, I’ll spend the remainder of the summer preparing my chapters for publication. Now that my dissertation is written, I feel a lot less stressed. In fact, anxiety is hovering around a 3 (on a scale from 1–10, with 10 being PANIC MODE). No more 9–10-hour days. There’s still work to be done – edits from 4 committee members. I’ve taken care of one, so 3 to go. I’m hoping to submit by the end of June or early July at the latest. The sooner I meet the graduate college requirements, the sooner I can get to the real goal: publication. Oh, and graduation.
My dissertation is three chapters, not including the Introduction and Summary. The plan is to publish them all. One chapter – let’s call it the Mars chapter – should be ready to go later this summer. The other two chapters – which constitute experimental work – are much bigger and need a little more finessing. I plan to make significant revisions by the end of the summer in order to have them in great shape for submission. It’s much harder to publish once you’ve left graduate school, because…life. Having a full-time job, no real obligation (after all, you’re no longer a paid student), and a change of scenery leaves little time for wrapping up and submitting work from grad school. In my case, it’ll be additionally hard, because….
JAPAN
I’m moving to Japan to teach English. I’ve forgone the classic academic path of a post-doctoral fellowship after graduate school. Writing proposals and tackling research projects doesn’t sound fun right now. But I do need some post-graduate experience. When I return to America, I foresee myself pursuing either academic positions (like teaching at a small college) or a position I can’t even imagine. I’m keeping an open mind. Either way, living abroad has been a dream of mine for years – probably since I first watched House Hunters International – and it would be a helluva learning experience. Thinking about the personal growth, let alone the teaching experience, thrills me. Deep breath. I’m keeping myself cautiously optimistic. It’s still nearly 3 months away. I won’t be completely thrilled – and at peace – until the plane lands in Tokyo. In terms of this blog, I’ve already begun thinking about how it might evolve when I’m abroad. I could continue this traditional format (wait, am I breaking the fourth wall or something now? Nah, I guess I’m always speaking to you all) or I could alter it to include more information about Japanese culture, teaching, etc. We’ll see how it goes – I anticipate an organic evolution.
SYSTEMIC OPPRESSION
I would be remiss without mentioning the events over the past week and a half – no, that’s wrong – events over the past few decades that are the consequence of a 400-year history. But that’s a lesson for another venue. Systemic racism and injustice have reached a boiling point in America. I am thoroughly heartened to see so many people standing in solidarity against injustice. However, it’s important to remember that these aren’t isolated events – they’re part of a larger history that has been aimed at oppression. I have to admit I haven’t found myself particularly depressed or angry. But that’s probably because I’ve hardened my skin to racial injustice over the decades. That’s not a good thing per se, but it has benefits in times like these. I’ve received numerous calls, texts, and messages asking about my well-being, which I’ve greatly appreciated. And I’ve reveled at the chance to discuss issues surrounding allyship, systemic racism, police brutality, etc. with various friends and colleagues. While I don’t feel taxed by these questions and discussions, I acknowledge that it’s harder for others. See? Not so hard to admit privilege.
Advice: Be an ally. Donate to worthy causes. Educate yourself. While I don’t mind educating others, it’s not the job of disenfranchised groups to educate YOU. YOU have a responsibility to be aware of the issues negatively affecting those in your life and community. The good news is that there are small, but meaningful actions you can take to ensure we live in a more just world.
CURRENT SHOWS
Recently finished: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (s7); Law & Order: SVU (s21); Rick and Morty (s4); The Last Kingdom (s4); Watchmen
Currently watching: House Hunters (on Hulu); Madame Secretary (s6); Persona 5
Thank you for reading! I hope you and yours are safe and well. My next blog is scheduled for Thursday, July 2nd. Until next time….
The Planetary Novelist 