Sobriquet 39.5

Since it is approaching one in the morning and the stack of papers I've been grading seems just as thick now as it was hours ago, I am going to have to keep this entry brief. What I can say, however, is that I finally finished the section on Age of Iron and, at thirty pages, it is three times longer than I had anticipated. Not surprisingly, I am looking forward to moving on, though I am anxious to see if my supervisor feels I should make any sweeping revisions before I jump into the next bit of writing. Depending on whether or not she approves of what I have done, I may give myself a bit of a break from work to recoup some of the energy I've spent on this project--though, having gotten myself in the habit of daily work, I have a difficult time envisioning what I will do with a wide-open schedule.

All I can say is that, if all goes well, I can look at the thirty pages I've written as one-tenth of a three-hundred page dissertation. That, in my estimation, deserves some sort of celebratory escape from routine.

One possible option for breaking out of the daily grind I've created for myself--and one that would actually help the project--would be for me to attend a conference later this month at which I have been invited to speak. Depending on several largely pecuniary factors, I think I may go. I am debating over whether I will speak on Coetzee or Joseph Heller, both of which figure prominently in my dissertation.

For tomorrow: Read, grade, or take a well-deserved (at least I think it's well-deserved) break.