at 4.30 today, i got an email offering me a job with the foreign service, to start with the march 6 a-100 (orientation) class.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

march 6 is less than 6 weeks away, and i've got to graduate! not only for my own sanity, which would be reason enough, but because the starting salary for a person with a ph.d. and no work experience is 10k/year higher than that of an m.a. with no work experience (me, now). and no, they won't raise your salary to the higher level if you get your degree after starting work. even if i got my ph.d. a WEEK after starting, i don't get the pay increase. so.

must. finish. dissertation.

on that topic, you will recall that i handed 100 pages worth of draft to my advisor week before last. we had a 2-hour meeting yesterday afternoon in which he started out by saying that it needed "major reorganization" then tried to make it sound like not that much work by saying that it was mostly moving stuff around, not really writing new stuff, but then in 2 hours we couldn't come up with an outline for the intro chapter (the part the needs the reorganization) that he was satisfied with. in fact, the current organization was suggested by him, last fall. a fact which he has conveniently forgotten, of course. apparently, he does this. "this" being approving of some bit of writing then months later deciding that it all needs to be redone. fine and dandy if you've got months, but kinda puts me in a pickle.

anyway, butterflies and racing heart and stress and joy and anticipation and worry all at once. wheeeee!