t minus twenty four hours

"Everyone told bleak stories of sitting wearily at their desk in the Widener stacks, wondering what folly had possessed them to undertake this particularly unrewarding piece of research in order to enter this poorly paid and little valued profession. Shoe salesmen, bus drivers, construction workers, and drugstore clerks all seemed the embodiment of calm happiness and contentment compared with the scholars who pursued this dusty quest..."
-Jill Ker Conway True North

Well stated, Ms. Conway.

At this point I'm just trying to dodge the terror that looms above me. I'll be okay. Inasmuch as I am going to pass. My ideas are sound enough that my as-yet unknown committee won't fail me. They might pile on conditions, but I will pass. That knowledge does not make the process any easier to undergo, however. There is no way around the fact that I'm going to be put through the wringer tomorrow morning, no matter how well prepared I am.