Papers, papers, everywhere!

11 days.

That's all the time I have left here at Hollins.

I saw Bryan for the last time (before I go home) this past weekend. We met at the same hotel and same room in Martinsville. I think the people at Captain Tom's Seafood Restaurant think we live there now.

Bryan is making major headway on our guest bathroom renovation. Keep in mind, I did not put him up to doing home improvements while I was gone. However, our guest bath was kind of blah compared to the rest of the house, so he has painted it, put in new fixtures and tiled the floor. He's done all of this practically by himself except for about 12 hours of assistance from his brothers on the floor and shower fixtures (which are more complicated to replace than you would think).

I can't wait to see it. My mom used to do all kinds of artwork when my sister and I would go on vacation without her. We'd come back and she would have redecorated the living room. I always found it exciting to having something more than homecoming to anticipate. I haven't seen any of the changes yet, so I'll be making a mad dash upstairs the second I get home.

So what's on the docket for this week? Pulling my hair out. I have one paper to continue revising (due next Friday) and another to write from scratch (due next Tuesday). I also have just five novels left to read! Throw in some meetings, finishing my study abroad application, and, what was it, ummmm, oh yeah, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS coming out and I'll find a way to fill in the time. They're actually having a read-a-thon in one of the dorms, but I prefer to devour my J.K. in perfect quiet. Yesterday I tried to escape to the library to read in the hopes that I could avoid dozing if I read in an unfamiliar place. But one of my classmates was in the comfy couch nook so I ended up talking to her for an hour. We're a friendly and unfortunately talkative bunch here, so one really has to close oneself off to get anything done.

Which is why, in an effort to utilize my day off, I'm locking myself in my room after lunch to get a draft completed of my sci-fi paper. Wish me luck, people. I'm going in . . . .