Happy Dork is Happy.
Hi, Harpies! I just floated in here on teensy fairy wings after a sustained absence, because I FINALLY. FINISHED. MY DISSERTATION.
That’s right, your friend PhDork is now a real Ph.D. (Okay, not quite yet, but I’m going to just enjoy the thought for the moment.) I chose my handle several years ago, around the time I finished my coursework, “advanced to candidacy,” and started working on the proposal. Impostor Syndrome has been a persistent frenemy of mine, so the name came from the idea that being a “PhD candidate” was fancy way of saying “PhDummy” or “PhDork.” Et voila.
But I did it. I fucking DID IT. It took waaaaaaay longer than I wanted, and was far more difficult that I could have anticipated, with all kinds of derails–both academic and personal–over the years, but I defended the thing (with style!) on Tuesday, with the Dude and BroDork and friends in attendance, and it was the sweetest day of my life, truly, because finishing the diss actually meant that I finally defeated (although maybe not forever) all the self-critical shit-talk I do about “I’m not smart enough, I’m not tough enough, I’m not ___ enough.” I won out over me, if that makes sense.
So I’m pretty much walking on air. And then my birthday was Wednesday, and I was given new books and a riding lesson and flowers and all sort of treats, and my students sang to me, and I had an amazing meal with some of my most favorite people in the universe. And tonight there will be carousing and cupcakes and beer and happy, happy crying, probably. (I’ve been doing some blubbing, lately.)
Okay, so braggity-broo, enough about me. What’s going right with you? New job? Promotion? Acceptance letters? Completion of a big project? Travel plans? Met someone new and exciting? Got rid of someone old and horrible? Had a really good hair day? Tell me about it. I haven’t felt this good in a long time, and I wanna spread some sunshine all over the place while it lasts.
GIANT HARPY HUGS 4 EVERYONE!!! (Also: I’m still totally a Dork.)
I AM SO FUCKING HAPPY FOR YOU, DR. DORK! LEG HUGZ! I’m really sorry I won’t be at the party tonight, but we will celebrate soon!
Good things in my life: I’m going to Italy. My dating cup runneth over, so to speak. And finally, after several months of being in the doldrums about my job and feeling like I was coming down with a case of impostor syndrome myself, I scored two big projects that reminded me that I am, in fact, quite good at what I do.
HURRAH FOR PHDORK!!!
Seriously, Dr Dork, congratulations.
Congratulations! It’s great to have good news, I think we don’t have it often enough. I wish you all the best!
My positive news: it’s Friday, and I’m going to see my grandma this weekend and discuss the music she will play for my upcoming wedding. (Suggestions welcome.)
Congrats! Have fun celebrating!
Congrats! I hope you spend the entire weekend celebrating.
I don’t have much news on my end, but the husband got a job after seven long months of unemployment. The only one who isn’t taking it well is our cat, who doesn’t remember what it was like to be alone all day long.
Congratulations!! So exciting.
This is happy on a much smaller scale, but I have finally achieved my goal of a waste-free period. Menstrual cup and fabric pads for the win!
Woot woot! Go PhDORK!!!
On the positive – I have finally found a good combination of treatment for dep/anx that has ended a chunk of lost time. Feeling the enthusiasm again!
Congratulations, Doctor! It was a dull even but this news has lifted my spirits.
My own good news is that today I finished making a bright pink dinosaur-hoody for myself. It has spikes and a tail made out of pink tartan. I am thirty years old and it is the single silliest garment I have ever possessed, but I think it’s kind of cool. Premature mid-life criss, possibly? It’s hard to care when you are a gigantic bright pink dinosaur. Rawr!
Dr. Dork, you are TEH AWESOME. Show those impostor voices who’s boss.
I’m all happy because I’ve managed to come up with two pretty sweet offers to do a fully-funded PhD. Plus, we’ve had two weeks with hardly any rain (and lots of sun!), and I’m going on vacation on Wednesday (although nowhere as exotic as Tuscany – I’m very jealous, Becky!)
Congratulations!!!! Awesome, awesome awesome!
In much less exciting happy news: I dyed my hair a much brighter red than normal and was worried it was “too much”. But today I’ve gotten a number of independent compliments on the color so I’m feeling more confident about it and might even do the same shade next time.
ZOMG, congrats!!! This is such tremendously awesome news! ^_^
I’ve had great news lately.
- Wednesday night, I organised and hosted a private event for two friends to re-present their queer research and then open it up for a round-table discussion. Eighteen people showed up and it was amazing. M talked about his experiences as a transmasculine person navigating woman-only spaces such as MALCS. L talked about hir experiences as a professor who struggles with how, when, or if to disclose queer identity to students. SO AMAZING!
- Thursday, some of those same people attended the student government meeting and we successfully convinced the student senators to lend their support to the Gender Identity and/or Gender Expression Resolution we’re trying to get implemented at our university. It would add gender expression and gender identity as protected categories under the Student Non-Discrimination Policy. It’s the first step in many steps, but we cleared that first part!
- Tonight I’m going to the Second Chance Queer Prom… and I’m going to try to pass as male, something I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time. SO EXCITED!
WOOT! Well, I have always thought you were _____enough. congrats!
Congrats Dr. Dork!
In exciting news, I’m raising backyard chickens this year. My little flock of 3 is 5 weeks old. They are a great fluffy yellow antidepressant!
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! CONGRATS!!!
Not much good news here. All the snow is gone and the Canada Revenue Agency decided to give only half my tax return to Student Loans, so I got an extra $900 that we weren’t expecting.
OMG, congrats!
My big awesomeness is all month-old, but today I got a 48-pack of condoms from Costco for $10. I am so fucking excited. Pun intended.
Dr Dork, I have this backache…sorry, that’s my standard joke for all new Ph.Ds.
Congrats-I’m proud of you!
And go you harpies! My bit of good news is that our daughter is flying in for the seder on Monday night. It will be the first time she’ll be with us since she started college 5 years ago. Yay!
Dr. Dork that is such great news!
Pam has given me the idea to color my hair yet again. Yeah, it’s not news, so what?
Yay Dr. Dork!
CONGRATS!
I’m much lower on the grad student food chain (working on an MA in Lit), but I presented a paper at our on-campus graduate conference today, and my professor said it was one of the best ones in the whole conference! And I got to meet a really fabulous poet and hear him read last night, came home and gushed about him to my husband, and then got to have lunch with him and some of the other folks from the program today. It was a day that really made me happy I’m doing this school thing, even if the day when, like PhDork, I will finish my PhD, seems so very far away.
Congrats!!!! As a “so close I can taste it” candidate myself, I really know how sweet that is – rock it sister!
Today has been a day from hell, but I can sleep in tomorrow, so there’s my contribution to the smiles.
@PhDork – I feel like we’re having a partial twin moment from across the Atlantic.. I call these sorts of things “birthday magic” – all the good stuff that happens the couple weeks pre, during and post birthday date.
My birthday was on Thursday (yes the day after yours). My sister and her partner and their children came to visit me. I got taken to dinner by Mackey’s-partner on Friday night.
I was sang happy birthday by my first year classes; I also brought in donuts because I think birthdays should involve sometimes food (and donuts are my sometimes food). My third year class also sang happy birthday on Friday, but this time to me and my best friend who also teaches in the same unit and whose birthday is next week (I brought really yummy ricotta cake, too, to share with the students).
I graduate next Thursday (my undergrad degree with Honours). It was hard, difficult, imposter-syndrome to boot, but it got done. It is now also listed in my university’s library catalogue – which is super exciting.
My mum is also flying down to watch me graduate, and join in the festivities.
Over the Easter break I’m spending some time with my best friend who lives in Melbourne, and catching up with peeps I haven’t seen a while.
Earlier in the month, I got to meet idol academic, whose work inspired my honours methodology. He was completely and utterly amazing, with so much humility, time, and patience, it was “TEH AWESOME”.
I feel like my “birthday magic” cup runneth over..
Oh, I’m so happy for you, PhDork! What a huge accomplishment!
In my news, I’m working. Yay! I’m a freelance designer and I have three clients, and they’re all happy. Once in a while I need a nap or a hot compress for my throbbing eyeballs.
*breaks out the champagne*
I’m about two weeks out from turning in my own (Master’s in History) thesis so I know, in milder form, what it feels like to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Congrats! Enjoy riding the wave
Congratulations!!!
My good news is that the program I run recently won an award for promoting justice for crime victims.
harpies are more than “TEH AWESOME” – they do, receive, and/or work towards some pretty kick ass things..
Congratuations to everyone!
Just wanted to say congratulations again, plus yay happiness for all of the kick-ass things everyone has been posting!
Plus! I stopped by a gas station on the way home from the Queer Prom, so I could get something to drink… and the cashier called me “sir”!!! Fuck. Yes.
More congratulations coming at you! Your students are lucky to have a professor like you, PhD (ork)…
Congratulations!!!! I’m going to be there in ~7 months (eeeek!) myself (fingers crossed), and it’s also been a long struggle against myself. So I know first-hand the struggles you’ve been through, on top of the tremendous amount of work you’ve put in!!
I don’t have a lot of good news right now – in fact I got hit with a whole lot of terrible news yesterday (no funding for next year, going to have to leave my beloved city and my beloved boyfriend, who so far is choosing to let his refusal to deal with his own issues drive us apart). But I guess the one piece of good news is that the end of this dissertation is in sight, and I have some pretty good leads on work and post-docs for next year. Fingers crossed.
Congratulations!!! That is a momentous achievement. I am very proud of you even though we’ve never met!
Even though we can’t afford it, my husband and I decided to throw caution to the wind and grow our family. I just found out a couple of weeks ago that I’m pregnant and this one seems to be progressing well and normally (we miscarried last year). We’re excited, terrified, hopeful, anxious, and overjoyed all at once.
CONGRATULATIONS DR. DORK!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m in a web class right now, for putting our work online, and we have to design a website. I am a TERRIBLE designer. No, really. It’s OK – I never learned and I really don’t have a good eye for web design. Cross stitch design, yes, web design, no. I wanted to make a site to be a place where people who do what I do can come and post their work, or find resources, or just find a community – because I’m leading the cutting edge and it’s kinda lonely. I have one online place to go…not a lot, considering the vastness of the web. So that was the plan.
Thursday I was finally confident enough to post the basic site with the most recent design out to people who weren’t in class – on FB. And one of my friends, one of the few people who does what I do, asked to post hir work on my site.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AND. I have a LOGO.
CONGRATULATIONS PhDORK!!!!!
HOOOORAYYYY!!!! Congratulations!!
SO SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!
You’re such a marvelous writer, and a fascinating thinker, it’s obvious you have made and will make significant contributions to the academy.
This is such a timely reminder to be grateful for what we have, to focus on the good. Our good news lately – I have a great, new grown-up job (no more childish mindgames!), for which we moved to a gorgeous, rockin’ new city, in a climate I adore, to a house and neighborhood I am grateful for every morning when I wake up and every night when I come home, near a fabulous public school which we will someday need (so much better than the bottom-of-the-barrel schools available in our old city). Our youngest is 14 months old, our oldest is 2.5 years, and both are just bursting with joy, life, exploration, new concepts and words, creativity, and love. I am certain my late mother would be proud of all I’m doing & accomplishing, and that’s huge for me.
Whoooohooooo! Congratulations and celebrations to Doctor Dork!
My good news is that my brothers and I successfully threw a surprise 50th birthday party for our Mum. She loved it and had a really good time and I got to see many dearly loved friends I hadn’t seen in a long while.
I’m loving everyone else’s good news too.
Thank you for all the lovely wishes, y’all. It’s been an amazing week, and like Mackey, I feel like maybe the planets were aligning in peculiar ways.
And thank you, too, for sharing your harpy news. I love that good things are still happening, since most of what we focus on–media-wise–is crap and garbage and ugly horror.
So, hurrah for everyone! And extra good wishes to those of you laboring to finish up big projects. As they say over at ICHC: YOO KAN DOO EET!
Many many congratulations, Dork!! That’s fantastic news!!
And a big round to everyone else’s accomplishments. This year is finally starting to suck less for me and mine as well. I just started (yet another) part time job that in a few months should let me quit one of the other part timers I’ve got going. I can’t wait to quit. It’s going to be amazing. It also helps that the new gig is in a field I actually enjoy and respect instead of… the opposite of that.