I did it!!!! I really, finally, unbelievably DID it - submitted the dissertation. After an endless row of all-nighters, utter desparation, humiliating phonecalls to the bank regarding icky financial situation, long term sleep-deprivation and poor nutrition and an additional nightmarish venture into the world of print/copy shops (incl. shelling out a significant amount of cash for their non-existent services). There it was!

Long, OK, nice....... and not something I would want to read again anytime soon.

The first day I took my own copy home and placed it on the dining table on a sort of display. Nevermind I was the only person there, just the thrill at looking at it all evening made it all worth the horrific price tag. The following days I lugged it around to Germany and to Jutland for my boyfriend and family to have a look at the printed monster.......and receive the much longed for congratulations. Probably their congratulations disguised a sigh of relief and utter hope that I was on the verge of returning to my pre-dissertation personality (read: less obnoxious and less singleminded). Actually I hoped so too. Back home I put the monster away on a shelf, to avoid having to look at it (just to be reminded that I will have to take this apart over and over again in order to create publishable articles from the OK-for-now-and-actually-not-too-bad manuscripts). Not to speak of the defense, which is still lingering ahead of me.

In the six weeks that have passed sinced the fairytale-like event of submitting I have dug my way out from dissertating slump and back to real life and I guess I close to getting there.