It has been a grueling 2 months of flying almost daily followed by the IR oral (3 hours) and checkride this last weekend.   I admit the checkride was not my best work under the hood but I made it through.  Honestly, I feel I will need more time under the hood and in actual before I would venture out with passengers in IMC and even then light IMC with high minimums will be the rule.  Still it feels goods to have the rating in the tool bag.

....on to apply for an astronaut position at space X !!

Congrats.

I know how difficult it is. You can be proud.

I also did it about 40 years ago.

Congrats! One of the tougher ratings to get, well done.

Grats

Congrats, now don't go killing yourself in shitty weather.  

Because if you think the hood sucks, you haven't seen nothing yet.

Yep, I second this.

Congratulations OP.  Instrument flying is a very rewarding, and challenging endeavor.  PLEASE keep in mind that your instrument skills are a very perishable thing.  When I had a fresh instrument, I went maybe 60 days without flying, then I went out by myself with 400ft overcast.  Yeah, that was dumb.  Don’t be dumb like me.

Fly safely!

Now go out and scare yourself silly.

Good plan to go with light IMC and high mins until you get comfortable. DON'T do like a dumbass- whose initials are FB- and go out on a day when every-damn-where is 200-1/2 OVC... 2 days after the checkride... just because you can.

Yeah... I scared myself silly that day.

Careful. Accumulating these ratings can become addicting.

Truth be told, after I got my instrument rating it solidified my decision to become a commercial pilot. Two decades later I don’t regret a thing. There’s plenty of bullshit in it, but it’s the best job in the world.

Congratulations, stay in the books!

Congratulations!

x2

And just in case you weren't really taught what spatial disorientation is, like I missed in my instrument training: it's not like unusual attitude training where you don't know which way is up, you reference your instruments and recover, it is your body and your senses are actively telling you that your instruments are wrong and the desire to doubt them is there. It will happen when between the layers and clouds settle down on you, or when ATC gives you fucky 360 degree turns for spacing and jerks you around, or when you're in a prolonged climb and level off. I always brief passengers as to what spatial disorientation is if we're going to be flying in IMC. I've had them tell me afterward that had I not told them that their senses may tell them that something was wrong, that they would have panicked.

That's awesome!!! Congratulations.  I'm half way through my instrument.  The written is done.  Now I just have hours to finish then the checkride.  I can't wait to be done with it.