Done. Or perhaps not so done....

Yesterday at 9:40 pm, I finished my last final (it was for a Humanities seminar on comedy and satire, in case you were wondering) for Winter semester. Strangely, my first feeling upon finishing was not one of relief or exhaustion, but one of irritation that I could not remember the exact names of Guy Debord and Matt Groening (I put Guy Depard and Matt Goerning - think the teacher will notice?). Then after that, I shrugged and said, "Aaaah, whatever." Not exactly the equivalent of Judge Holden's exultant "never die" dance.


So, my thoughts about the semester?


First of all, I am astonished at how little writing I did this semester as compared to other semesters. Only two short papers (five pages - please), some handouts (okay, three - all of them at least two pages long - but c'mon, it's a handout), four Spanish "papers" (note that I say "papers" in an exaggerated tone accompanied by rolling eyes and fingers making fake air quotation marks), and two long papers (I stopped counting after 12 pages), both of which I have high hopes for (but I'm expecting them to be dashed as well, so I won't be disappointed, either way). Compare this to two winters ago, where I wrote two "long" papers, one "medium paper" and 12 short (3 pageish) papers for just ONE class (Oh yeah, and we did a handout as well).


Secondly, my test-taking skills have plummeted. I remember when I used to beg for more time than 3 hours to sit in the Humanities Testing Center, hoping to scrawl down at least 10 more of the 100,000 notes that I had scattered in my brain regarding a particular essay question. Last night, I was ready to leave after 15 minutes - it took an epic effort to force myself to stay for just one more question, and then two more questions, and then three, and so on until....aha! As for the McCarthy essay, by the time I had finished talking about The Orchard Keeper, Child of God, Blood Meridian, the Border trilogy, No Country for Old Men, and The Road, I couldn't even think of anything to say about The Sunset Limited or a conclusion. I vaguely recall thinking the words, "So, White kills himself and Black let him do it, cause we have agency and isn't that great? Amen," but who knows what came out on the page?


Thirdly, out of nowhere, I won second place in a writing contest this semester. Phi Kappa Phi something or other. Nice to know those frenzied hours writing that Emerson paper paid off in the form of cash and a fancy dinner, I suppose. I also have a nice certificate and a new line on my resume. How many of my other papers can say as much?


Fourthly, my dirty little secret of the semester: I never read Catch 22. But - and this is the worst part - I TOTALLY FAKED THAT I DID. Will this affect my grade? To be continued.


Fifthly, I really and thoroughly enjoyed the beginning volleyball class I took this semester. So much so that I've decided to take it again in the fall. Can I do that? Yes I can. Should I do that when other people who haven't taken it might also be trying to sign up for it? Shh.


Sixthly, I ALMOST saw every film at the International Cinema this year, and ALMOST felt a great sense of pride and accomplishment at doing so. Seriously, I was so close that I could weep. I missed only three films in the theater, and have seen one of the three so far, but I will see the other two before the year is out, SO HELP ME.


Seventhly (Hey, has anyone ever said that before?), a list of things I learned during the semester:


1. Don't procrastinate.
2. Never write on anything boring.
3. If your computer breaks and you don't have your files saved, you're screwed.
4. If you have a quiz in your first class and you forgot to study until that morning, don't stress. If you park in the Marriott Center, you have a 20 min. walk to campus during which you can study.
5. Always ask for a bag when you check out 20 or more books from the library.
6. Auditing is AWESOME.
7. Go to Devotionals - if they're interesting, great! If they're boring, you can sit in the back and read.
8. Go to Mask Clubs - they're free and they're fun. Thursdays - 1, 2, and 4 pm in the Nelke.
9. This is such a sensitive piece of information that I hesitate to reveal it to the online community at large, but having faith in the discretion and fewness of my readers, I do so: There is a vending machine in the SWKT that sells fruit snacks for 70 cents; all other vending machines sell them for 75 cents. Now you know. Use it wisely.

And now that I have a break (all the way until next Tuesday, can you believe it?!?), I'm going to spend some time putting together my school portfolios (I still have stuff from LAST WINTER lying around), preparing my McCarthy paper for "something," (My lips are sealed, but my hopes are preparing to be dashed) watching the movies I missed, practicing for an organ duet on Sunday, preparing a lesson for Sunday, and watching my big brother Daniel graduate tomorrow. Oh, and did I mention that I checked out the latest Brian Jacques book this week? Squeal!