Okay.

[rivka]

I have my suit. I wear it seldom enough that I always marvel at how professional it makes me look. It's so deep a navy blue as to be almost black. It has quasi-military styling: it buttons up above my breasts with big silver-and-navy buttons and has a belt across the back with two more buttons on it. No one else could wear my suit - it's tailored to fit my short right arm. It fits me perfectly. I couldn't fail to be brilliant in that suit.

I have a cream-colored silk blouse and low black heels and fine sheer stockings with no runs in them, to wear with my suit.

I have my laptop computer and its power cord, which means that I have all of my dissertation data in Excel and SPSS files and output files for all of my data analyses. I have my dissertation and its figures and the external abstract on a CD. I have a hard copy of my dissertation. I have overheads for my defense. I have notes of my advisor's advice about my defense. I have the reference for an article he recommended on problems with the dichotomization of continuous variables, which wasn't in the University of Maryland library but is probably in the University of Iowa library, given that he read it. I have the Graduate College Thesis Manual. I have the Graduate College's critique of all the ways in which my first deposit deviated from the Thesis Manual. I have a half-page cheat sheet about logistic regression.

I have all of my University of Iowa keys to return.

I have two buttons, neither of which I will wear on the outside of my clothes: "Trust me, I'm almost a doctor," and "we have charts & graphs to back us up so fuck off."

I have all of the ordinary things you take on a week-long trip: seven T-shirts and two sundresses and three pairs of shorts and my sandals and underwear and a long T-shirt to sleep in at David and Leslie's house and my summerweight bathrobe and my bathing suit and jeans and a long-sleeved shirt in case it really does get cool in Minneapolis over the weekend, and four books (The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope, which is what I'm reading right now, and Murder Must Advertise and Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers, and a single-volume set of Love in a Cold Climate and The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford), and my cell phone charger, and all of my bathroom things and my medications.

Surely that means that everything will go just fine.

Comments

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Bring at least one extra pair of hose. If you have one pair, it'll run. If you have two pairs, neither will.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Oh -- and KICK ASS.

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

yes, yes, it will. especially with her majesty there to supervise.

[curiousangel.livejournal.com]

You have forgotten one other thing. You also have a husband who loves you with all his heart, and who is coming with you to be your cheering section.

It's going to go splendidly, love. I'm proud of you.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Eek! I almost forgot my "Look! A monkey!" pen. Can't forget that, or they'll almost certainly ask me a question I can't answer.

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

Almost there : >

(BTW, I love D.L. Sayers too -- "Murder Must Advertise" is wonderful! Have you read "The Documents in the Case"? It's not Wimsey, but great still the same.)

[popefelix.livejournal.com]

Give 'em hell!

[ex-helygen254.livejournal.com]

Everything will go just fine.

On the mailing of swords

[wcg.livejournal.com]

You are going to be masterful, my love. Go, and do great things.

Re: On the mailing of swords

[futabachan.livejournal.com]

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you. She isn't going to be masterful -- she's going to be doctorful.

Go get 'em, hon....

[dedoc.livejournal.com]

Yep. With the addition of the monkey button, should do just fine.

Go *get em*....

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

Break a leg! You'll do marvellously, I'm sure of it.

[pameladean]

You will be brilliant.

I'm so sorry I'll miss you in Minneapolis. I'm leaving on the 28th.

Pamela

[elusis.livejournal.com]

Everything WILL go terrifically!

Hang on to those buttons when you're done with them. Others of us might need them someday.

[sashajwolf.livejournal.com]

All the best! You're really well prepared - I hope you can relax a little now so that you feel as calm as possible during the defense (look! I even used the American spelling, just for you!)

[kightp.livejournal.com]

I have no doubt that you will dazzle them.

Don't forget to breathe ...

[papersky.livejournal.com]

At rysmiel's defense, the advisor turned up wearing a red tie with black skulls on it -- he thought that would calm any last minute jitters.

The details sound perfect, especially the suit. Have a wonderful time

[rmjwell.livejournal.com]

Everyone has posted my usual useful advice, so I'll offer a useless question:

Wouldn't it be better to post this to alt.poly?

Lick that oral, woman!

[minnaleigh.livejournal.com]

Everything *will* go just fine. You're the expert here. And you know if your supervisor thinks your dissertation is defendable that it is. Plus, you totally rock!

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Plus, I have my look-a-monkey pen, thanks to a certain amazingly cool person! So it will all be okay.

[minnaleigh.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you liked it! Sometime I'll tell you the story of trying to find it in some stores.

[thbeatnik.livejournal.com]

I need to find a "Look- a Doctor!" pin so I can be prepared whenever I meet you in real life. :)
Good luck- I'll be sending good thoughts!

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

I cannot imagine anyone being more prepared! Knock 'em dead!

[aiglet.livejournal.com]

Go thou, in your Suit of Doom and your perfectly organized thesis, and kick ye some oral defense BUTT!

(PS -- I highly recommend having someone else paint your toenails a funny color the night before as a destressor, if you need another one.)

[porcinea.livejournal.com]

*Major* suit envy. Now go kick some ass!

[roadnotes.livejournal.com]

You will rock.

[ruisseau.livejournal.com]

Don't forget the whiskey for the two-drink minimum (for the committee, NOT YOU!). ;)

For yourself and curiousangel, whatever you drink to celebrate... :)

[mittelbar.livejournal.com]

I think the only problem you're going to have is that you might intimidate the examining committee.

[baratron.livejournal.com]

Good luck!

I do want a "we have charts & graphs to back us up so fuck off" badge - where did you get it from?

[jinian.livejournal.com]

That's my favorite part, too.

Rivka, you will be brilliant!

[tsjafo.livejournal.com]

You'll do wonderfully!

[tammylc.livejournal.com]

Everything *will* go just fine.

Looking forward to calling you Doctor!

[trinker.livejournal.com]

The only thing I'd add is a bottle of clear nail polish, as a belt and suspenders addition to the extra pair of hose.

Meanwhile, "go, Rivka, go!"

Go you!

[ororo.livejournal.com]

Kick ass, take names. We're all pulling for you.

[dandelion-diva.livejournal.com]

You will kick ass and take names. Of that I have absolutely *no* doubt.

Gessi