EMDAT

This past month has been nothing short of hellish. As I mentioned before, between tons of grading, trying to find a job, and preparing for my M.A. comps, I’ve been more stressed than at any other time in recent memory. There was probably some time in college when I was really stressed, but what I wouldn’t give for that kind of stress these days.

Luckily, it will all be over in less than 24 hours.

My exam is scheduled 1:30, which means that by this time tomorrow, I should be in a bar somewhere, well on my way to forgetting everything I’ve been so busy studying. I’m sure the remainder of the semester will continue to be hectic (OK, so maybe it won’t all be over in 24 hours, especially because there has been little movement yet on the job front), but this is one huge monkey off my back. Wish me luck.

On Saturday, Emily and I are heading out of town for my birthday. Don’t ask me where we’re going; I don’t know yet. Why not, you ask? Well, we’ve started what I hope will become a tradition. Instead of giving each other gifts on our respective birthdays, we secretly plan a weekend trip to some not-too-distant locale. So I suppose I’ll find out where we’re going after we’ve been in the car for an hour or two on Saturday morning.

Wherever it is, I can’t wait. It will feel good to breathe again and I could really use a change of scenery right about now. Most importantly, I’ll actually have time to talk with Emily, a favorite pastime of mine that has taken an unfortunate backseat this past month.

For now, though, it’s off to Starbucks for some more historiographical review. Catch you on the flip side.