By the numbers...

No. of days in Roanoke, VA: 43
No. of classes attended at Hollins University: 24
No. of hours spent in class: 72 hours
No. of novels/textbooks read in their entirety: 29 (most were > 200 pages)
No. of articles/anthologies/textbooks consulted for papers: 26
No. of papers written: 3 (total no. of pages written: 34)
No. of presentations given: 2
No. of conferences attended: 1
No. of parties attended: 5
No. of speaker events attended: 6
No. of paragraphs in Latin translated: 3 (btw, I totally passed the foreign language exam.)
No. of visits with Bryan: 4 (no more than 24 hours each time)
No. of meals at Hollywood's (best food in Roanoke): 3
No. of letters from home: 1 (Thanks, Mayo!!)
No. of all-nighters: 0 (2AM was the latest I stayed up)
No. of gym visits: 18 (went three times a week without fail...good stress relief)
No. of miles biked: too many to count (only drove to class once; it was raining and I had to take food for a class breakfast)
No. of trails hiked: 1 (I have to work on this for next time.)
No. of laundry trips: 4 (I will never take my washer/dryer for granted again.)
No. of movies watched: 1 (theatre); 7 (home) and at least six episodes of Firefly and Veronica Mars

I had a great time, and I am so glad that I am in this program because it fulfills my personal AND academic interests. Despite the distance, the work load, etc., I am so glad I came here and I know that this is the best M.A. program out there for me. I feel very blessed to get to take part in the learning that goes on in our little mountain resort. My next entry will be my last about Hollins. I will be continuing this blog, but I will turn the focus to my normal life and my teaching experiences (the latter is often very entertaining).

I'm done!
So many books . . .

Now what?

I know this is going to sound bizarre, but whatever.

I have nothing left to work on. Papers finished. Books read. Reflections written.

I go to class tomorrow and that's it.

I feel weird. I always have something to work on.

Oh, wait...dang it, I've got to go to the gym tomorrow before class. Bloody hel....

One Down

Made an A in sci-fi.

Heck yeah!

Still Breathing, Barely

The sci-fi paper got edited down to 16 pages...not much of an improvement but my professor said it was OK. The same day I turned that one in, I had to pretty much rewrite my other essay because I didn't like the organization. Today, I have to read my last novel and edit that same essay because I need to knock it down about 2.5-3 pages. The curse of being wordy.

Weather is super gloomy and has been for the past two days. I think it's reflecting my state-of-mind. I've been staring at a computer screen so much since HP VII that I got a headache walking into the grocery store yesterday because the lights were too bright. I cannot quite explain how glad I am that I will have three weeks of peace and relaxation before I go back to KHS. If I had to go straight into teacher workdays, I might lose my mind. I've done such things before and it always sucks and I am always exhausted and stay that way until I either make myself sick so I can catch up on my rest or I get a weekend in which I can stay in my pajamas the entire time and chill.

Tomorrow is my last sci-fi class and I might stay and watch Destination Moon (old movie) with my classmates, but that kind of depends on how far along I am with this paper by the time I go to bed tonight. Friday, we have our final farewell potluck, and then Saturday, I'm driving back to Raleigh.

I cannot believe I have been here for more than a month. I have gotten so used to my little twin bed, eating with my roommates, going to class every morning. I just can't imagine what it is going to be like to drive down Durant Rd. or go to our YMCA instead of Hollins' little gym. You get so acclimated to your surroundings when you stay some place for a while. However, I think it's going to take me about five seconds to get used to being back home. I'm coming, Muon and Quark!

Oh, and then there's that Bryan guy. I guess he wants me to come home too. :-)

Ironically, one of the first things I am going to want to do when I get home is go to the library. I'm on such a roll here that I can't imagine not reading a book a day, and, with all my future free time, I am going to have a lot of time to read. For pleasure. Ahhh... Although, I have to say that I have read every single book I was assigned. In undergrad, I definitely skipped a few, but I am in this program because I love this genre so much so I don't find it too surprising that I enjoyed 98% of the novels on my syllabi. This entry will be the last until I walk out of my last class on Friday. Then I will regale you with all the specifics of my time here.

I'm So Dead

Sci-fi paper...17 pages.

Yep.

Supposed to be 10-13 pages.

Due on Tuesday.

Stupid long topic!

At least I have a complete draft. Finally. Thank goodness.

Sooooo tired of writing.

FIVE DAYS!

Finished

At 2:50PM, Saturday, July 21st, I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and, thusly, the Harry Potter series.

For some people, this sort of documentation may seem weird.

For others, it will be perfectly understandable.

Regardless, now, I must get back to work.

It's Time

It is 12:22AM, Saturday, July 21st.

I have the Potter.

I happen to be wearing my costume from our Death Day Party. I was a wizard dressed as a Muggle.

I have Pepsi. I have candy. I have mashed potatoes (don't ask). I am ready.

Commence reading!