PhDone

He did it! Caleb defended his thesis on Monday, which means he is set for graduation in May! I was able to watch his defense, and although I didn't understand a word he said, I've never been prouder! (OK, I understood about 10%. I even laughed at a joke about polymers that one of the professors cracked. But seriously, the depth of Chemistry knowledge blew my mind.) I've learned a few things about PhD programs that I thought I'd share.

1. A thesis defense is basically like this, just 20 times longer, and instead of weapons there are impossible questions and wild postulations flying around. Waiting at the end is a firm handshake if you're lucky, but thankfully no poison.

2. The entire academic world is addicted to coffee.

3. These people are title hungry. It's all about the coveted "Doctor" title. Don't even think about calling a professor "Mr. Smith," and using a first name might just get you killed. Caleb now has the kids calling him "Doctor Daddy." I'm feeling rather jealous that all my work over the last 5 years hasn't earned me some more letters after my name, so I'm awarding myself a Doctorate of Motherhood. I am now Lindsey Snell Miskin, RN, MomD.

4. Consider the following analogy. Grad student : free food :: Moth : Flame. Tell me, would you sit through 2 full hours of boring science gibberish for a free bagel? They would.

5. How does a Mormon grad student with a wife and 2 kids survive on a stipend meant to support one single person? Easy: Don't drink alcohol and cook at home. We've discovered that grad students blow about 10% of their income on booze, and the rest of it at restaurants. So choose either "tithing and family" or "booze and take-out," but either way the pay is pretty comparable.

We're very relieved to be graduating, but next comes the stress of finding/starting a job. I'm pretty supportive of whatever Caleb wants to do and wherever Caleb wants to go. My one stipulation is this: I don't want to have this baby in the back of a U-Haul.

It's been a few months since my last post because lately I lack anything witty and/or earth shattering to share. (Besides that I'm pregnant.) I guess that's big news, but not really when it's your 3rd baby, and the reaction from the general public has switched from "How exciting!" to "I think you're insane," or "Don't you think the world already has enough mouths to feed?" Not that anybody has said as much with their mouths, but their faces say a whole lot. 

Today, two kids is the magic number in this society. ("Congrats, you've done your civic duty and replaced yourselves in the population!") But any more than that, and people start to roll their eyes at you in the grocery store. To the "My, you'll certainly have your hands full!" remark I often receive, I have the prepped response, "Full hands, and an even fuller heart." And it's true! I'm more thrilled with this pregnancy than either of the others, so I really don't like it when strangers throw a wet blanket on my excitement.

Granted, like the stock market, some years are better than others. (2014 was a doozy for me.) But, also like the stock market, things always, and I mean ALWAYS, go up. Insert brief economics lesson here: Please refer to below figure of the Dow Jones Industrial Average from 1900-2012.

See? Always up in the long term. So I'm investing in my happiness future, and expecting huge returns. 

(BTW I'm due Sept. 24, and we won't find out gender.)