Wow. The last couple of months were nuts. Winter quarter, I took a couple of more credits than I normally do. The quarter ended a couple of days ago and I have not even begun to recover.
(Side note: typing this on a new keyboard is weirdly difficult. I switched from my laptop keyboard to a full-size yesterday... My fingers are acting like they have never touched a keyboard before.)
As I write this, my dog has her head wedged under the armrest of the chair, on my lap. We have missed each other a lot over the last few weeks. But, alas! I get ahead of myself...
As I mentioned last time, I put together a little office for myself. One of my best friends found me an office chair, second hand, for $15. It is in amazing condition and has helped a lot with the back and hip problems my old woman body was experiencing from the folding chair that I had been using. After Emerald City Comic Con a few weeks ago, the nerd decoration has increased quite pleasingly.
The last few weeks have been FULL of typing in my nerdy office. I had two 10-page papers, two presentations, and three finals all due within a few days of each other. The presentations required enough content that I needed note cards, which I typed because my handwriting is not easy to read while on the spot. One of the presentations was 18 note cards long. The presentations also required visuals. The two papers were heavily research based and two of my finals consisted of essay questions... If I am honest, typing this blog post is kind of making me want to cry. My hands started to develop horrible cramps from all the typing, which is why I decided to try a larger keyboard. The cramping I was experiencing has stopped, but now my hands are cramping in a different way from holding my hands in a less familiar position.
One of the papers was the quarter-long culmination of research from my independent study. The biggest problem I had was trying to whittle down what I wanted to include. The local research was so interesting that I frequently forgot to eat dinner because I was so caught up. I am pleased, and a little surprised to report that my professor has suggested that I enter my research in the school's Scholar's Week competition. This requires refinement of the research, creating a poster, displaying it and answering questions, all while being judged by a panel of faculty. Gulp... I have not yet decided if I will enter, but if I did, it would be a nice addition to my resume...
I am currently on spring break, so I am playing WoW, watching TV, and cuddling with my puppy. I am trying, and failing, not to think about the upcoming quarter. I am taking Quantitative Methods (math, yuck), Archaeological Theory and Methods, and Contemporary American Indian Issues. The idea of doing more math, in any form is less than appealing. A fellow-archaeology major assures me that there is less math than you would expect, but based on the course description, I'm not convinced.
As of last Friday, I am officially a senior. That in no way means I will be done in a year. There are still quite few requirements for my major that I need to complete. There is a light at the end of the tunnel now though.
