It is finished.

Yea, so it's done. I would write a long blog to describe my innermost feelings on this momentous matter, but I'm a bit drained from it all I think. And, to be honest, it's all still settling in. The relief still hasn't hit me full force. Right now, I'm more bewildered... or something. I guess it's because this day felt like it was never going to come. Even last Friday (which I can't believe was only a week ago), I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Last Friday, I only had the first half of the paper written (though I had done all of the analyzations and research at that point). The last 30 pages were ripped out of me in the sleepless days that followed. A two page analysis for each of the 435 ads (that'd be 870 pages of writing!) were sorted and summarized in the 20-some-odd pages of 'Findings and Discussion' that I wrote in a matter of 4 days (see previous blog for that 'sleep' schedule). 

It is finished. I am now free from educational obligations. My prison door has been unlocked, and I'm about to celebrate my freedom like never before. Let the travels ensue...

Oh beautiful sleep, come take me away

A timeline:

Friday: Awake for 24 hrs
Saturday: Awake for 23 hrs (1 hour nap)
Sunday: Awake for 16 hrs (8 hour sleep)
Monday: Awake for 24 hrs
 

Total Hours over 4 days:
87 hrs awake (9 hours asleep) 

And, that's after sleeping only 4 or 5 hours a night for a solid MONTH in order to finish on time. 

Oh, how I miss my bed...

Delusional? That's an understatement. Life kind of just swirls around me at this point. Which kind of makes it hard to wait tables, which just so happens to be my current occupation... yea, I am still going to work during all this. Feel free to add my name to your list of heroes ;)

It’s the final countdown... cue intro music a la Europe (the band not the continent)

So, 24 continuous hours of writing (with very few distractions) and I finished the "Findings and Discussion" start to finish... all 20 pgs of it. 

That means (drum roll please).......... 

The rough draft is done, and it's the fi-nal coooount-down, dada da da dadadada dada da da -- you get the point, the video for the song is currently on my profile. Feel free to sing along.

5 days and counting and three years worth of stress will lift forth from my shoulders. 

Woooooo hooooooo!