3.21.2010

Great Moments of Anticlimax

  1. Quitting a job you hate. It should be cathartic and liberating, but it's usually depressingly routine. I think it's because of the two-weeks' notice; by the time your final day rolls around, everyone's already reacted and chances are, your replacement is already starting. I've said it before and will again: the last day of a hated job should instead include a parade with retired astronauts.
  2. Moving away from a city. You're just tired. You have to get up really early and drive the truck all day. You're completely preoccupied with all of the logistical hurdles that have to be overcome. There are so many more things to do once you arrive in the new city that any sense of new beginnings is buried under the anxiety.
  3. As it turns out, finishing a dissertation. Writing a dissertation takes so long, by the time you're done, you've been semi-done for months already. You're citing things, filling in spaces, editing the bad grammar, and finishing the bibliography (easily the most painful part.) Worse, you know better than anyone how many gaps and problems remain, so you don't even really feel that good about the finished project.
That said, I expect having a baby will be pretty climactic.* A big part will probably be the intense insanity of labor preceding it. Maybe quitting jobs, moving, and finishing dissertations should be accompanied by some kind of wacky Klingon ceremony involving swords and burning, thereby making the moment more special.

* As opposed to climatic, which would just involve a high-pressure ridge or a 20% chance of rain.

3 comments:

Chrissy said...

Just my two cents on the the baby-havin': it is absolutely astonishing how the anxiety and pain of labor (even a really, REALLY long one) completely and immediately disappear once you hold your baby for the first time. Even the 9 months of being uncomfortable in one way or another are somehow suddenly a distant memory that didnt seem that bad after all.

Leah said...

I've done number 2 and I did number one just a few weeks ago and you are spot on. Some people didn't even say goodbye - now that is just plain rude!

ninjahq said...

Certainly your cohorts should be up for a punny DISS IS DONE party, no?