I really should be working on my paper for h 161 that's due at 2 PM. However, I'm curiously lacking in motivation right now. (Huh, fancy that... only took a german exam around 11 PM last night, then tried to skim several articles for an 101, went to sleep around 3:30 AM, woke at 8 AM and promptly began the 5 hour ordeal virtually cold-turkey... only it was just 4 hours until it was due.)

Anyway, I figured I'd chronicle the other wonderful things that have happened since yesterday. First of all, German was AWESOME. Perhaps I've missed my calling... languages are just so darn fun. They're like puzzles, and once you have the key (vocab and conjugations and declensions), they're easy to unlock. It's fascinating. Maybe I should've been a linguist... or majored in German elsewhere, so I could become a translator. Ah well. In any case, German wasn't supereasy, but I got this incredible feeling from being able to decipher these passages and translate both ways. Knowledge is power. :)

Anyway, an 101 wasn't so bad. I definitely got over half the points, ergo I'm pretty darn sure I passed, considering how I did on the midterm and homework. Hurrah.

Then, a bunch of friends and I went over to Nate and Tina's new place, which they've lovingly dubbed 'The Stick' (see www.homestarrunner.com for more about this). They were cool enough to have a BBQ for their friends - kind of an impromptu housewarming party - and it was a great break from work. Also, we played Botticelli - an interesting variation on 20 questions, in that the questioners have to stump the questionee with a question referencing a person of their own choice before they get to ask a question about the original unknown character. Everyone kept saying that my clues sounded like crossword clues. :) I guess it comes from attempting the crossword in the LA Times as often as possible (ie when Abby hasn't gotten to it already ;).

And to top it off, it turns out that Sam's not leaving right after term ends, but on the coming Wednesday. So I get to see him for another couple days (and on my birthday!) before we're apart for 4 months. Hooray! :) And hopefully he'll be able to relax now that junior year's over... he and every other phys major here have been sucking it up for the past several terms. Louisiana'll be a nice change of scene for him (well, different and interesting anyway), and the workload'll be a LOT lighter. Boy will I miss him though. Thank goodness there's email, and the postal service for when I'm traveling.

Yup, it's been a terrific week. Best finals week EVER. I just can't believe I'm this happy with my life right now... it's such a change from who I was sophomore or even freshman year. I've got fantastic, supportive, caring friends; I'm in a stable relationship with a wonderful, caring fellow (love you Sam); I'm going to Ireland for 9 weeks this summer with caltech funding, and then to Germany for 2 weeks (and Germany's FREE!!!). I mean, this is ridiculously good - you'd think this would never happen except on TV sitcoms. I feel like I should be waking up to real life any moment now... I want to go around grinning from ear-to-ear all the time, even skipping around campus, I'm so darned happy. Maybe I should make sure no one's spiking the water fountain with happy pills... ;)