Friends, I'm not exactly well.

I'm reaching the critical thesis crunch time and I am NOT in good  
shape. My advisor, having read a second draft of the ms, has informed  
me that the book needs "serious work" and she needs me to "work very  
very very hard" for my thesis to "matter", I have an ending that  
doesn't--on its face-- make any sense, and several of my chapters  
have the gaunt post- Castle Greyskull Skeletor look: just really the  
bones, a blue body and some purple makeup.

Today is March 18.
I need to turn in a copy of my thesis on April 10.
I can't do math but that seems like it's at the most three days from  
now.
I am (almost) officially freaking out.

So I find this a good time to start the official My Quick(ish)  
Descent to Thesis Insanity portion of my blog. From now until the  
manuscript is in the hands of whomever controls the graduate student  
office (or wherever we turn this in... crap, why don't i know  
this??!) I will be offering a deep, insightful dive into a place no  
one wants to go: the mind of an MFA student about to turn in and then  
defend a thesis that he's not entirely confident about to a group of  
professors also not entirely sold on said student. If that doesn't  
sound like a non-stop fun rollercoaster or at least Thunder Mountain,  
then I'm afraid you're probably being logical.

Everything else, at this point, seems like it will take too long.  
Working on anything outside the thesis, going to the gym to wail on  
various parts of my body, text messaging, using emoticons or the  
restroom-- all of these things would take too much time away from my  
characters, especially the one I've almost entirely based on Ramsey.  
And while I have no problem doing it to Ramsey, I can't let Ramsey's  
pseudo character down.  I need a creativity IV, some sort of diaper  
system, and at least three hippies worth of granola if I'm going to  
make it this three week period without losing myself in the  
(insanity) music. I assume this will involve whiskey.

Anyway, this will be the channel I'm playing on until our April 10th  
deadline. As we get closer to the TD (thesis drop) day, blogs might  
get more frequent or deleted by my editor, depending on my coherency.  
But there will be at least two a week. And some pop culture. And lots  
and lots of the music of 1998 to guide us home.

And for those of you who want nothing to do with the QDTI, fear not--  
like most of the relationships on Saved by the Bell-- this portion of  
my blog will only last three(ish) weeks.

I have a tendency to wear my mind on my sleeve. I have a history of  
taking off my shirt.

One (to Three) Week(s),

Barenaked Ladies

ps- Oh yeah. We've switched the address of the site on the Interweb.  
It's now at blog.writersdigest.com/writerslife/ You can still get to  
it from the old address, but why make it harder on your computer?  
Please adjust your Internets accordingly.