As it Approaches

I found this post several months ago on another blog and bookmarked it. I thought it would be wise/worthwhile/comforting to read it again as my thesis defense approached. It details many of the different types of committee members one can have on their thesis committee, and some of the combinations that might make one's defense easier or harder. As I reread it now, I feel the need to remove "comforting" from that list of descriptors.

I fear that I have put together a more difficult committee than is necessary. I have two people that I know will find something barely tangentially related to my work to latch onto at all possible times. I've run out of ways to figure out how to prepare for that. (Plus, they're both coming back into town from elsewhere around the country specifically for this event; I hope my scheduling has not pre-irritated them.) My thesis advisor has never not slept through a presentation of mine, so I am working on the assumption that he'll sleep through my defense. Then he'll pipe up with some criticism of my work that he's never mentioned to me before; this seems to be his MO. My thesis topic is somewhat interdisciplinary, so even my "outside" person isn't really all that outside. And the last member of my committee is a new faculty member; I haven't a clue what to expect from her.

I still have a list of questions/topics on which I could royally embarrass myself if they come up. I have two days to whiddle this list down (preferably) to nothing. But the real fear is the questions I cannot anticipate. I know everyone worries about this, but taking comfort in knowing that everyone has to go through this rite of passage really does nothing to quell my fears right now. I have just over 48 hours to go. I cannot wait until this is over and I can sleep, eat, and maybe even live again.