guess what time of the semester it is?

If, Gentle Reader, you have guessed that it is the time of the semester in which I frantically write papers, you are quite correct, and should treat yourself to a nice cup of tea as a reward.

This semester, however, is different from others, because:

a. I have only two papers to finish, as my biology class & my literature survey class got theirs out of the way early. (However, they have in-class finals, so I cannot simply forget about them as I am longing to do.)

b. Of my two papers, one is a history paper, which means a lot of research but little original thought, since I don't know how to do original historical thought, not being a history major. The other paper, however, is a frightening many-tentacled monster; a 15-pg in-depth analysis of the representation of patriarchy in a trio of sensation novels, backed up by quite a bit of research. I am simultaneously impressed by the work I've done so far and aware that I could do so much more and better work if only I was, say, writing a thesis instead of a final undergraduate paper. Which is a strange place to be, because I both want to be done done done with this semester, and am sad that I'm running out of time to make this piece of work as perfect as possible. To be honest, though, the need to be done is winning out handily.

This semester is also different because 'done' now has a different meaning; when I turn in my two papers and take my two final exams, I will be done with my undergraduate career, and will be the proud recipient of a BA in English Literature.

And then? Well, my parents are visiting for the graduation ceremony, and my in-laws also, and after they leave I have a fundraiser to work at, and then my dear friend Susan is throwing me a graduation party. But after all of that, time stretches out before me in which to develop home-making skills, volunteer at the local library, investigate graduate school options (an epic undertaking in itself) and do a lot of writing for my own pleasure rather than for grades. I am ready and eager to start reinventing my daily life all over again.

But first the papers -- and that is why I am really, truly ready to be done, hand-in-hand with a sort of wistful knowledge that, as always, my papers would be Even Better if I only had more time.