Quals and Cups, or Something

To say that life is full of suprises, with any reference to my personal experience, is an understatement. I have never really been either a glass half-empty or half-full kind of girl because well... I would describe my life as being representative of one of those children's sippy cups. The kind that are built to be pounded on surfaces, knocked on the floor, and rolled over by strollers. It doesn't really matter what is in my cup or how much is in there as long as it doesn't stain the carpet. After all of the insanity that I have experienced over the last few years, I have come to terms with this fact. I generally try to prepare in any way that is possible for the impossible things that will happen to me. I know I have been M.I.A from the blogging world for awhile, so let me, dear friends, bring you up to speed on my latest adventures.

Right about the time I finished coursework, I found out that my dissertation adviser is leaving my school. As a result, I agreed to sit for my qualifying exams early. I had 4 months to read everything I could in three different specialties. Somehow, I really have no idea how, I managed to get through my lists and before I knew it, it was exam day. To preface the upcoming story, I will explain the format of my exams. Day One: 24 hour major exam, Day Two: 8 hour minor exam, Day Three: 8 hour minor exam. All tests were taken at home, and were administered by e-mail.

Day 1: Nervously crawled out of bed around 8:30 and sat and agonized until 9 am when my test was scheduled to begin. 9:10 no exam, 9:20 no exam, 9:30 exam... somewhere around 9:35 flood of tears and panicked hysterics. After calling three people in the office, I learned that the office had forgot about my exams and that they had to call in the administrator. Around 10 am, I had my exam. 10 am the next morning I was done. Delirious and ecstatic to be done with one exam, I took the rest of the night off. Later that evening, a friend brought me dinner to my apartment. We hear a knock on the door. Confused I ran to the door and cautiously opened it. Lo and behold. A sheriff. Wonderful. She asked me if I could identify my neighbor. I couldn't so she thanked me and left. Obsessing on the couch while imagining situations in which I was suspected of covering for said mystery neighbor, I text my roommate and she provides me with an ID of him. About 90 minutes later, my friend leaves to go home. I few seconds later, my friend and sheriff arrive at my door, asking for my roommate's description of the neighbor. Why was she still there you ask? She explained that she could not leave until the homicide unit arrived. Apparently, the neighbor directly across from my apartment was a murder suspect. Excellent. I was not provided with much information until my friend got home and saw the story all over the news. Home alone already crazy before hearing this news, I tried to sleep... no such luck.

Day Two: Missing Exam. Again. Received it late. Frantically wrote while trying not to run to the door every 5 minutes to watch the homicide unit search mystery neighbor's apartment.

Day Three: Hooray.. no problems... or so I thought.

A few days later I got a call informing me that my last exam had not been graded because it was not sent to the graders yet. Apparently, the person in the office had fallen and sprained her ankle and did not send my last exam. One day later I get an e-mail from my adviser that all exams were graded and that my defense would take place the next day. Next day?? Sigh. Fine.. why not.. I thought...

The defense was long and terrifying but it went well and I survived. Two missing exams, and one homicide case later, I was officially ABD.