It's finished, and just beginning

I successfully defended my dissertation on Thursday, without messing up too much. Honestly, I think a lot of people liked my talk and I appreciated all the complements. The high school teachers who were here for the summer were especially nice, probably because they understand how hard it is to get up in front of people and talk. My family was there supporting me, and my friends Ting and Irene came in from pretty far away (Ting made it a surprise), and I got some beautiful flowers, and everybody wanted me to succeed, which made the day really good. My only real disappointment was that more professors didn't show up. But, I plan on talking to the ones who I think might be pretty interested in some of the things I talked about. After a weekend of good sleep, I think I am leaving the experience with a lot of confidence, which is nice. I'm ready to tackle my French lessons again!