The Mexican Pizza

A funny thing happened to me today in the Taco Bell drive-thru. I had just finished my final assignment before fall break, and had dropped it off at the prof's office. It was about 8:30 and I was rewarding myself by buying supper at Taco Bell.

As I pulled into the drive-thru, I noticed that the car ahead of me was a pick-up truck from Michigan, and the guy in it wasn't bad looking. No one in the passenger seat. All good signs. I rolled down my window and ordered.

Pulling around the corner to wait for the nice TB people to take my money and produce my Mexican pizza, I looked at the guy in his side mirror. He was looking back at me (always an awkward moment) so I glanced away and suddenly, blaring out of the truck came the strains of a heavy metal song. It was so loud that I whipped back around to look at the guy again. Still looking back at me. I'm thinking, is he trying to impress me with his music? Cause I like music, but not this screaming-into-the-microphone stuff. Then I catch a few words, "You have a beautiful face..." Awh!, I think. By now I am totally convinced that he's playing this song for me (I was perhaps delusional from hunger). He's still looking back at me in his side mirror.

The "musician" (in quotation marks to indicate my generosity in using this term for this particular person) continues on and the next word I can make out is the f-bomb. Woah, uh, not really into that...I'm suddenly NOT impressed. The cursing screamer has cancelled out the pick-up, the midwestern roots, the cute guy, and the beautiful face comment. All gone in a flash of profanity.

I rolled up my window, looked away and turned up my own music. Tim McGraw drowned out the cursing screamer and I drove off to enjoy my low-quality Mexican-American fast food.

Mature, Adult Decisions...

Things to do this afternoon:

Option A:
-print off, read, and highlight remaining two sources for paper on AIDS in China for Public Health & Nutrition Class
-Copy, edit, analyze, and 'chunk' fieldnotes from last 3.5 hours of observation for Research Methods Class
-Finish reading Discerning Spirits for History of Christianity Class
-Start research for paper on God's Heart for Women for Theological Foundations of Mission Class

Option B:
-Check email
-Check Facebook account
-Take a nap
-Write in blog

Hmmm...tough call...

Deep Thoughts on Finals

I am taking a productive break between assignments. I just finished my review of Footprints of God. Then I folded and put away my laundry, put clean sheets on my bed (even rotated the mattress, go me), emptied my now-somewhat-smelly lunch bag from Tuesday and put the cooler thingy back in the freezer so it's ready for tomorrow. Now I'm writing before I go back to reading. I have an article to read so that I can fill out this form about it...

It's week six of eight in the quad (a quad is half a semester, and most of my classes are a quad long) so it's just beginning to be 'gear up for finals' time, and I'm already tired. Not a promising situation. But the good news is that during the second quad, which is also the last eight weeks before GRADUATION, I only have one class and comprehensive exams. So this should be my last crunch-final time. Hopefully forever!

(insert host of angels here, singing the "Hallelujah Chorus")

In the meantime, it is the time of season for that annoying niggling thought that rises to the surface of my consciousness every once in a while. The thought says, "You should be doing research for those three papers. They're all due in the same week, and you're going to be up the proverbial creek without the proverbial paddle if you don't get your rear in gear now..."

I hate that thought, wise though it is. It's not so much that I don't WANT to work ahead. It's more that I'm trying to keep my head above water to get THIS week's assignments done. It seems a bit presumptuous, arrogant even, for assignments two weeks in the future to be nagging me already.

Sigh.

I suppose one day I'll look back at this time with fond recollection. Perhaps even longing. But for the record, I never missed school during the three years between undergrad and grad school. In fact, as finals season came and went I often gave thanks that I was no longer involved.

Now if I could only find a job...

Off to go read an article.