I do know

that this is it. I also know that I will not have it perfect on time. I also know that if I didn't have a deadline in 8 hours and 18 minutes, I wouldn't have it where it's going to be by then, either. I really want to sleep, but it will just have to wait. I have some oj. Some coffee. A cat who is being rambunctious because he's attention starved...

Here's the plan: I'm going to work for three more hours - one hour on each section. I will then get ready and head into the city because that is where the free printing is and a shower will refresh me. The train ride, however, will most likely counteract that one, but I'll do my best. I may need lunch by then... How weird is it that I just used the word lunch to describe a meal around noon? I've been having breakfast at 4pm lately, what can I say?

Part of me wants to email my adviser and ask her if I can give her this thing Monday at 8am, but a much larger part of me knows I can pull this off and I don't want to have to look at this thing anymore, so I'm going to get it done. I finished my conclusion this morning, and I have things sort of organized (I have enough to write a book on this shit, I swear to god), and just need to prune and polish more than anything. That's the part that takes forever. Luckily, I don't have forever. You know how fish grow to fit the size of their tank? That's how I am with deadlines: I'll work until the last minute every time. This is the last time for a while though. Wow, my next real writing deadline will be my PhD apps in the fall. Other than the stories I write for the lit seminar in St Petersburg, Russia (Russia!), but that won't be nearly as stressful. It's been so long since I've written a story. After I wake up from sleeping the next few days...

8 hours left. 24 pages. Halfway there.

Update: I decided to ask my adviser if I could have another day because my brain was starting to ache from lack of sleep, so we're not done yet, but it means it'll be better than anything I would have turned in today. I feel bad. I know she's not happy and that I really didn't give her a choice, I mean what was she going to say? No, give me your not-quite-good-enough version?

So now I've gotten some sleep, and even though I have absolutely no desire to look at this thing anymore and was mentally prepared to have done with it by now, I'm going to keep plugging away and make it perfect like I said I would. (34 pages)