Finals

May 16, 2004

My week of finals was May 3-7, and with it came an onslaught of stress-induced break-outs on my face that I still haven't seen the last of. That was a very stressful week; Sara was home for that weekend, which really wasn't very conducive to good studying. By Sunday evening, I felt pretty desperate to get my head together. Luckily for me, my tests were all on different days so I was able to study as the week progressed.

The first three tests went as expected--hard enough, but at least no surprises. It was Test number 4, the ever-dreaded science class, that I was so worried about. When I had the first three out of the way and could finally turn my attention to it, it was even then quite overwhelming. On Friday morning, I got up at 5:45, got dressed, went to work, but didn't clock in. I took my books back to the Doc's office, propped my feet up on the desk, and studied for the next three hours solid before heading over to school to take the test at 10:30. I had a come-to-Jesus prayer meeting. I prayed that somehow He would let me manage to study (AND REMEMBER) the things that would actually be on the test, instead of my usual fashion of studying for everything that ISN'T on the test. And it somehow worked. I felt 200% better about that test. I had an 89 going into it--and the only reason I had an 89 was because the prof had seriously curved our grades--so I needed an A to pull me up over the brink. I doubt I will ever know exactly how I did on the test (they don't give you your final grades), but my overall grade did end up being an A. So I'm assuming I did fairly well. Why is it so important? Well, I'm hoping to get university-based scholarships based on my grades--that's the main reason. (The other reason would be pride .) College is so expensive, and by the time I'm finished, tuition will basically have doubled from when I first started looking into it. This is not a friendly feeling.

But what a relief to be finished... for now!

Summer Plans: Sharon, Dee, and I have got plans to go to NYC June 17-20, so we're really excited about that. We had originally planned to stay with May, a former coworker of Dee and mine, but she and her husband live in New Jersey. We would be losing at least two hours a day just traveling back and forth. So I bid an Amish rate for a three-star (no roaches please) hotel to stay in Manhattan, and plumb! if we didn't get it. We're staying in the Roosevelt near Central Station. We're five blocks away from Times Square and quite close to the garment district (fabric shopping, here we come!). With Priceline, you're only guaranteed accommodations for two, but I've contacted them requesting two double beds nonsmoking. They wrote me back and said they will base it on what's available but will be glad to take it into consideration. But I figure we can take our piles of fabric and just "make do" if necessary. Or we can always stroll down to the luxurious lobby and stretch out on their couches if they refuse to give us a double.

I have a feeling it will be a real adventure. We plan on taking a taxi to the hotel... "The Roosevelt, please," we'll say. [Can't you just see it?] It will literally be "Little Amish in the Big City." And with Dee there, there is no telling what she'll get into. There is no such thing as a stranger to Dee. It will be interesting to see her with the Unfriendlies that are rumored to dominate the streets of the Big Apple.