Geographical clarification

Just to be clear, we are not planning a trip to Tasmania. Nope. We're going to Tanzania - as in that country in Africa. Seems that at least one person (you know who you are) was a little confused - especially when I blathered on about warm tropical beaches. There aren't so many of those in Tasmania. Also, you won't find the Serengetti or Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tasmania. If you want to see those, you're better off going to Tanzania. Like us. In a very short period of time. Boy do we have a lot to do.... Now, back to working on my thesis defense...

Pick an Island ... Any Island ...

Z and I are reconsidering our travel options. Plan A will take us to Palau for two weeks at an incredible expense, then to Oz and SE Asia, with a "final" destination of India. Trouble is that - at this very late date - I have realized that I don't really want to go to Oz nor to SE Asia. India sounds OK but not exciting. Instead, I'm interested in the other side of the world: Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Madagascar, Mozambique, Zanzibar, Ethiopia... While we talk about getting to Africa and the Middle East eventually, I worry that we will run out of money before we make it to the places that I really want to go. While I've felt this for a while, it all came to a head yesterday. Perhaps it was learning that my god-parents just decided to come to the wedding (best frackin' news in a while!) thereby reducing the number of people to see in Oz by two. Unfortunately, all this last-minute questioning has turned Z into a lump under the covers; he's a little stressed out about having another thing to think about. I'm trying to figure out if there's another beautiful island that we could honeymoon on - y'know, one with white sand beaches, warm tourmaline waters and a cloudless cobalt sky - for less than the cost of our trip to Palau. We aren't really interested in roughing it - we even want to make reservations so that we don't have to lug our backpacks through the tropical heat in search of a room. The island could be anywhere - really, anywhere. As long as it doesn't cost us a quarter of our money to get there.

So, know any islands we should consider? When you dream about escaping it all, where do you imagine going? Help please!

Twitterpated

I had a plan. It went something like: submit first draft of thesis to advisor on day before advisor goes into the field where he has no access to e-mail and therefore no way to contact me; enjoy a relaxing ten days off from thesis-writing because there's really nothing to be done until advisor returns. This plan started to go awry when I finished chapter two early enough to give it to advisor five days before his departure. Then I finished chapter one a day early and sent it in. The plan began to unravel further when I received chapter two back before he left. The plan came completely undone when I discovered chapter one sitting in my inbox last night. I guess he got to e-mail before he got to the island. There goes my ten days of no-thesis-writing-luxury.

What's really astonishing is that upon reviewing the manuscripts, I've realized how little work I have left to do. It might take a day to finish up chapter one and a few more to make changes to chapter two. That means I'll have them back to him when he gets back, therefore not giving him a break just like he didn't give me one. Given how quickly he's able to turn these things around, it's likely that I'll be able to send a draft to my committee by the end of the month. And, here's the really big news, defend my thesis before the wedding.

Yes, that's right: I think I'll be able to defend my thesis before the wedding.

Do you have any idea how phenomenally fantastically awesomely wonderful that would be??? I would be DONE, almost completely, before the wedding. Afterwards, I would have some formatting to take care of and some printing up and turning in of the final thing. But that's it. There wouldn't be any more stress and panic. That part would be over. Over as in done. Done as in no more. As in over. Gasp.

This realization left me all twitterpated last night: I felt like someone was running a light electric current through my innards. After realizing just how wound up I was and that Z's deep-breating-hippy-visualization did nothing to calm the rising nervous excitment, I took half a xanax. I slept fairly well but when I woke up, I was A-wake.

Oh my. Done. What a wonderful sound that word has to it.

Unelation

My new favorite quote:

Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Give a man a religion and he'll starve to death praying for a fish. ~Judith Bandsma


Speaking of fish, I just sent the first draft of my thesis to my advisor. I'm strangely unelated. I think the pain in my shoulders, hands, elbows, wrists and neck has detracted from the experience somewhat.

Kaya just got back from a few weeks with Roberto. She appears unelated to be home. Now she's whining at Zack. Great.

I'm going to go eat (faux) ice cream in celebration. Whoo.