Desperation and Determination

One off my PhD colleagues who finished last year told me he wrote most of his PhD in 6 weeks. During those 6 weeks, he did nothing else. In his telling, he would wake up and work on his PhD until his brain couldn't take it any more. Almost every day for six weeks. I was wondering when I would be able to work in similar frenzied fashion, and I think finally the wait is over. I have been working in as close to a frenzy as I can for the past two days. I have four days more before I leave for Brighton and exactly one month until I leave for the U.S. For more than a year, I have been trying to get my theoretical framework in to shape, and finally I feel like I have reached a do-or-die stage. I can't imagine having to cancel my US trip because I am too far behind on my PhD. There are other reason I might have to call it off--cancelled flight, Covid, some other hell--but not because of my PhD. I feel a heady mix of desperation and determination.