"the week in review" or "bring back the tunnel"

some odd goings on this week:

i found my stapler in the kitchen, nestled in the potholder drawer. i'm not sure what it was doing there, but i have vague recollections of trying to keep lunch bags closed.

a male student asked me in class if the ring on my finger meant i'd gotten engaged over the spring break. i told him (and the class) that i hated humanity too much to ever marry a member of it. in retrospect, the answer should be "oh, this? i eloped over the weekend. thanks!"

in the end, i did end up solving the problem that happened before spring break, exactly the way i thought i'd end up solving it. i really wish i'd been allowed to solve it earlier. that fix was quicker, cleaner, and less inspiring of bitterness than this one.

an entire tuesDay was spent without sudoku, hitori, hashi, or other positive mental stimulation. we'll ignore the less positive mental stimulation except to say that it is now appropriate to read a collection of sex scenes aloud in class.

this week alone, i broke down and cried in front of two different people i had had no intentions of ever crying in front of. this does not include the third sob fest, which was thankfully completed at home. the tally stands thus: in my entire masters degree, i broke down in front of close friends maybe 4 times. this semester, i've broken down in front of practically-strangers three times. and a professor. and a few close friends. this does not include being honest when people ask me how i'm doing or whether i'm all right. it also does not include teary eyes and a quick exit, which usually follow these questions.

i believe the previous two points might have something in common. perhaps a cause/effect relationship.

also, i conclude from the above that sudoku is good for the heart, mind, and emotional wellbeing.

so are pictures of family, goats, and family-holding-goats.

also pictures of old friends long gone, late-night office paper parties, lovely buffalo-less scenery from trips, and the like.

a few last points before i go to bed fully 4 hours earlier than usual in an attempt to pretend that most of this week did not happen.

i've decided that it's best not to look forward to next semester.

last semester was quite hard. that research methods class was a full course load of work in and of itself, and the old english translations were not the easiest. i got very sick for a lot longer than usual. the light at the end of that tunnel was this godforsaken semester.

i want the tunnel back.

next semester is my last of coursework. one class will be focused on odds and ends, but mostly revamping the exeter book paper from my dear, beloved tunnel. the other is a workshop that i cannot bring myself to anticipate. if expectations are low, perhaps my last semester will at least not suck in surprising new ways.

l and p