Girl in the Bubble

So, I did it. Finally finally. Two hours ago, I sent off the draft of my article, complete with a short abstract and a bio. We won't mention the morning of trolling the web, looking at the other way of citing secondary sources. What's up with those people, by the way? Why on earth is it so important to put the year?

Anyway. The point of this is that I feel like the dirty, stinking, rotting carcass of an albatross has finally fallen off. After worrying about this article since the New Year, spending two days a week working on it for the last three months, having sweaty, panicked dreams about not finishing it, the mofo has been submitted. Praise Jeebus, hallelujah.

It's not that I don't have another deadline looming (hello, unwritten conference paper to be delivered in 3 days). It's not that I don't owe my students papers that have gone weeks ungraded, or tips about how to take an upcoming exam, or comments on their journals. No, all of that is still there. But the overwhelming relief of having this thing off and gone has overwhelmed my finely-tuned, over-active freak out complex. That's how strong it is! If I knew it felt this good, I would have written articles years ago!!

In my conscious mind, I know that the bubble is paper thin, but I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts. Completion, she is an cruel taskmistress. Cruel, but fair.