Ahead of schedule

I've been busy lately, which explains that lack of blogging, but it's been rewarding. My original plan for the thesis was to write 3 chapters before Christmas, which would give me a near complete draft by then. Plans have changed---for the better. I've been on a writing tear lately and it looks like I'll have 4 chapters written by Thanksgiving! This puts me about a month ahead of schedule. This means I'll be able to get the first wave of revisions in before Christmas.

Also, the applications are ahead of schedule. Almost all the forms have been submitted online and all my statements have been written. The writing sample has gone through a number of revisions and is just about finalized.

Basically, all this translates into two things. First, being ahead of schedule with the drafting process means I can spend more time revising. This should only help the final product. Second, it means that I can slow down the pace a little. And the time is right for that. My dad, brother, and brothers-in-law will be coming down here for a long weekend in two weeks, followed by a visit from my sister Jessica and her husband Mike, and wrapped up with a weekend visit from Uncle Abe and Aunt Eleanor.

So, things are looking up for the rest of the term...