A Late June Update

I have been hard pressed with thesis writing for the past five
weeks or so, and therefore I have had no inclination to do any
blogging. I have been occupied with my journal, but unfortun-
ately I didn't feel the desire to blog.

My advisor has let me know that he believes that my thesis
is at the stage that it is ready to be prepared for submission.
That means no more major writing or changing. I am to work
with what I do have in order to shape, tweek, and sculpt the
material that is already in it. I do have the conclusion yet to
write, but the usual procedure is to wait to do it at the very
end. Overall, I expect that the next seven weeks will mean
more painstaking work.

In the past five weeks I have put a lot of work into getting the
bibliography into shape, refining the crucial introduction to the
thesis, and doing considerable altering and molding of the first
chapter. I expect to have my work cut out for me in chapters
two and three, but after that I should have clear sailing in the
remaining six chapters. I don't expect the conclusion to be hard
to do.

I am planning to have a submission-ready draft by mid-August
for my advisor to read through. He has already approved with
suggestions the drafts of all nine chapters and introduction, so
I don't expect any surprises. But he will let me know of places
that I need to write with greater clarity. I really hope to be able
to submit the thesis by the end of August.

I have been putting in some pretty brutal hours six days a
week and my mind is frequently brain dead after long hours
at my desk. Despite all this I really enjoy what I'm doing. This
whole process has given me a lot of joy. For right now, I'm
where God wants me. So, keep praying for me.