After a 1 hour public lecture and 2 hours of constructive feedback, I officially completed my oral defense. I passed. Hooray! Looking back, I knew what to expect during my defense in about the same way first time parents know what to expect during the delivery. Technically speaking, I knew the order of operations, the agenda, the invitees... and everything proceeded according to plan. But now, I know what it actually means to defend something... to sit at a table with four brilliant and articulate people who are not shy about asking difficult, conceptual questions... the feelings, the anxiety, the emotions. Thankfully, my examiners were kind, thoughtful, reflective, and all of their feedback will help make my thesis a better document. The physical exhaustion that came afterward, on the other hand, took me completely by surprise. By 8:30 last night I was curled up on my couch in my pjs, sleeping like a baby for the first time in months. I spent most of this morning feeling like my head was an empty tin can with a few marbles rolling around clanging against each other inside...so not what I expected :-)