Hey, y’all. Posting will be light for a while, I think. I’m diving deep into my thesis and carrying another class that, although not really challenging, comes with its own not insubstantial workload. I’ve got a longish conference in NYC coming up, too — right now, I’m working a little ahead of each class’s syllabus to make sure I’m comfortably on my game.

Right now, I’m still on track to finish in December, although the meaning of “finish” is a moving target. Taking travel and some other stuff into account, there’s a fair chance I’ll finish my thesis in December but wait to defend it until the grace period between semesters. Technically, I think that puts my grad date in spring 2011 instead of fall 2010, even though I won’t have to take classes in the spring. No big deal, really — that was the plan, before I decided to push it.

Some things at work are shifting around as well, which is par for the course. Never a dull moment at my office! No matter what happens, I’ll be reporting to a new VP shortly — always exciting, always promising, always full of opportunities…but never without the challenge of any transition.

I tend to thrive in situations like this, so I’m way more excited than worried. The slight difference this term, though, is that the workload never really ends with the thesis until it’s done. Sure, I’ve built a robust schedule telling me when to do what and for how long, but there’s always something more I could do to move it along. I mean, sure, I’ve got it set up so I code 20 artifacts on some days and 15 on others, but that means that I could push it to 20 on the days marked for 15 and get more done. And on that train ride to and from NYC next week? I could maybe do 30! Each way!

For this last deliverable, there’s always more to do…until there isn’t. So even when I’m taking a break, my brain has trouble disengaging or not jumping to the next task on the list.

Also, two thumbs up for Applied Quantitative Methods. If I hadn’t taken that class this summer, I would be in a state of total panic right now. Instead, I’m just…working my program, if you will. (And uncharacteristically avoiding requests for free tutoring. I just don’t have enough hours in the day to be an unofficial TA right now.)

With all that going on, I’m not sure I’ll have the time to write much here, or that there will be space in my brain for the kinds of things I prefer to blog about, like how I totally don’t fart in yoga anymore and how spinach-less smoothies now taste stupid. Or about how glasses are ridiculously expensive, even with insurance, but completely necessary when full-time reading and scrolling change your prescription. Or about how I’m still working on getting my running groove back, and how I’m slow but consistent.

Or? About how some asshole recommended Dexter to me and I streamed the first two seasons through Netflix, got hooked, and am now in a strop about why the other seasons aren’t available for my instant queue. Or how I find myself again in what I call the Battlestar Galactica Dilemma, in which you get hooked on a series and the new season is starting soon but you haven’t seen the previous season yet and you’ve only got four days and you’re totally going to go buy the goddamn thing at Best Buy already because GAWD. Spoilers.

This is similar to the Dexter issue, but with a deadline and with the fact that Bones is a better show.

About which I care little, really, because I’ll be spending all non-work hours at the library and the coffee shop(s) for the next couple of months.