Well, it's over. I wrote 24 pages in 8 hours. I've never done that in my life. In case anyone is interested, here are the three questions I answered:

(1) How have the family changes of the last half-century affected
middle/upper-class vs. working-class/poor Americans in different ways? How
are recent family trends connected to broader patterns of social
stratification/inequality? Why have these two groups responded in distinct
ways to the family and gender revolutions of the last half-century?

(2) How is fatherhood linked to marriage? How are married fathers distinct
from unmarried fathers in the nature, quality, and stability of their
relationships with their children? Why is marriage linked to paternal role
performance?

(3) Has marriage become deinstitutionalized in the last half century? What
would be some indicators of deinstitutionalization (or counter arguments to
the deinstitutionalization perspective)? How have changes in marriage affected
the quality and stability of marriage? Do you think these changes have been
good for women? Men? Children? Communities?

It was hard - but it's over. To clear up any confusion - this does not mean I'm done with the year or the program. It just means I've jumped through one more hoop on my way to a PhD. I have to take one more comp and then write a dissertation to get a PhD....and I have two more papers to write this semester.

I'm starting to learn that most big accomplishments in life are fairly anti-climactic. I think I feel like things are anti-climactic because there are never any special effects. I mean, things don't start going in slow-motion and celebratory music doesn't play in the background. When I finished the test, I emailed it to my committee and said, "Well, I guess that's it. I guess I'm done." And life continued.

But, I feel like I have climbed a big mountain and accomplished something here. That's why I'm so tired today.