Chapter 5 in the can

I've realized why I don't write too much on this blog - well aside from the fact that I'm really not that interesting and don't have a lot to say unless prompted. I've been busting my ass on this dissertation since I got back from Ireland last summer. And it seems as though all my hard work has paid off. I finished the first draft of chapter 5 today. That is the final chapter of my dissertation. I still need to write the introduction and conclusion, but I already know what I need to do for the former and the latter won't be written until, well, I'm done (or very close to it). All told, I've written 193 pages since September. Now I don't want to toot my own horn, but I think that's pretty impressive. Granted everything is still pretty rough and they're only first drafts of everything, but I now have a really solid base to work off of during the coming school year. Since I'll be making my first foray into teaching in the fall it's probably pretty good that I've got the bulk of this done now.