I have been sitting in Starbucks for about five hours revising my dissertation. I didn't anticipate how hard this process would be. Rewriting this crap is tedious. And, worst of all, even when all of the revisions are complete I absolutely know that my committee members will find more things for me to revise. Ultimately, I know that the paper is better for having incorporated the feedback I've been given. Still, I just want to be finished.
I keep thinking how great it would be if my final defense could be an interpretive dance instead of a power point presentation. Who isn't sick and tired of seeing titles fly in with lame sound effects? I am thinking of replacing the default sound effects with sound bites from old shows like Sanford and Son. For instance, when I put the slide up that prompts my audience to ask me questions, the title will slide in along with Fred Sanford's voice saying, "What now dummy?". And, if anyone dares to challenge one of my findings, I can hit the "esc" key on my computer and it will prompt Fred's famous, "How 'bout 5 cross your mouth?" response.
Ok, ok, it's not a very scholarly approach. On the other hand, perhaps my committee will appreciate a break from the normally dry proceedings. And, my defense hearing will not be easily forgotten. Of course, I can probably forget about nominations for dissertation awards, unless the Rubber Chicken Award is now being presented at Penn.
Well, that's my brief rant. It served it's purpose of providing a mental break from revising my paper. Once I am out from under this pile of paper and statistics I will have more to say.
