defense countdown: *for real*! now!

ahh!!! i defend my dissertation in two days!! i have to come up with some smart opening remarks. i think they will include 1.) discussing a quote from foucault's the order of things that sparked my interest in the project early on and 2.) answering the question of "why mount everest?" given that i extrapolate larger cultural trends from everest's history. why not just extrapolate those same trends from, say television? well, have *i* got an answer for *that*!!! oh yes indeedy.