Monday: I register for the final exam for my online Psychology class. I can take it Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. My final for Speech and Language Development is on Friday afternoon. I make a crazy decision to take my Psychology exam on Thursday. Sure, it means taking at least one night off from studying for my other final, but I figure it's worth it. I need to get something checked off my list! So I take the risk. Both of my study guides have been ready for a week. All I have to do is read through them. Repeatedly. Rehearsing the information over and over again until I know it well enough to teach a freaking seminar.
I still have no idea what I'm going to do for the five page paper for my Art class. I hate that stupid class. It's a general ed requirement, and it sucks. I can't help but feel that my attitude toward the class itself is leading me to adopt a line of thought that runs something along the lines of: "Meh." I figure I'll be able to pull something together by Friday night. I need a Coke.
Tuesday: I want to study while AJ is at preschool, but it's a Field Trip day, so the schedule is a bit messed up. I want to be able to go with the group, but I just can't justify losing any uninterrupted study time. So I drop her off with her teacher, explaining that I will be joining them for the picnic at the end of the field trip and then I'll take AJ home with me. I study for about 2 hours, then I make lunches for me and my daughter, get things all packed up, and head over to the park. After the picnic, AJ and I come home for a few minutes so I can gather all of my stuff together, and then drop AJ off at my Mom's house so I can go to the final lecture for my Speech and Language Development class. That night, I study. I also try very hard to figure out what I'm going to do for my five page paper for Art class. No luck there. "Screw it," I say to myself, "I'll figure it out." (That is looking more and more doubtful at this point...)
Wednesday: The day is completely crazy, I have no time whatsoever for studying until after the chiddlers are in bed. I study for my Psychology final, as it will be happening the very next day. Still no ideas for my paper. I need a Coke.
Thursday: AJ's preschool has been cancelled for the day. It's been on the calendar since the beginning of the school year, but the timing could not be worse. I could REALLY use that study time, but I'm prepared to just do what I can and pray for as much help as I can get. And then suddenly, a miracle. One of my friends sends me a text message, asking if AJ can come over for a couple of hours that morning to play with her daughter. I am so grateful for her impeccable timing, I must remember to take her some brownies.
I go and pick AJ up from her friend's house, bring her home and feed her some lunch, and then she goes back to my Mom's house so I can go and take my test for Psychology. I go to the testing center, I take some time to go over my notes a couple more times, and then I go in to take the test. The nice thing about taking an online class and taking computerized tests is that I can get my score instantly. I clicked "Submit" at the end of the test, and I got a 100%. Who just made that test her bee-yotch?
That night, when Ty calls me on his way home from work and asks his usual question: "Do you need me to stop and get anything?" I ask him for one thing: "I could really use a very, VERY large Coke." He totally comes through, and once the chiddlers are in bed, I take that fabulous beverage out of the fridge and drink it as I study for my final final.
Friday: This morning, I tell AJ that I'm not going to be very much fun, because I have to study for my test, but I love her very much and I'm almost done for the whole Summer. She's supposed to go to my mom's again that afternoon, but then Mom calls and tells me that she has a wedding luncheon to go to. Apparently, when she put babysitting on her calendar, she put me on the wrong week. But, she gets in touch with my sister, who kindly agrees to watch the chiddlers for me. I go, take my test, and I feel pretty good about it as I walk away - although since it's a paper test I won't know exactly how I did until my professor has the chance to go over it, grade it, and post my score online.
After picking up the chiddlers from my sister's house, I bring them home, and CT goes off to his friend's house, while I give AJ a very big hug, apologize for being so busy and boring, and let her pick a movie to watch while I sit in the front room to write my paper. I then proceed to BS harder than I have ever BS'ed before. I honestly have no idea how my professor will react, or what my final grade will be. I only know that the paper I ended up submitting is pretty much as good as anyone was going to get out of me that night. By the time I email the attachment for my paper to the professor, it's past 7:00 PM.
Not only have AJ and I not had dinner yet, but I realize that I forgot to eat lunch that day. Suddenly, I'm starving, and as the reality of my triumph washes over me, I become more and more elated - giddy, even. I decide to reward myself with a Subway sandwich, and a large Coke. AJ gets her dinner, and I eat mine while I watch "Cutthroat Kitchen" on Netflix. After dinner is over, I get AJ to bed, and then when Ty comes home he finds himself once again the center of my attention - after playing second fiddle to homework and studying for several weeks. He's a good, patient soul who not only puts up with being neglected for weeks at a time while I'm studying and writing research papers, he calms me down when I'm freaking out, and brings me Coke and sour gummy worms right when I need them most. I have decided to keep him.
Finals Week has been over for a whole week now. It doesn't feel like that, though. It feels as though a month has passed since those 5 crazy days. However, I have since found out that not only do I have an A in Psychology, but I also have an A in Speech and Language Development (I got 100% on my final exam!!!) I have yet to hear back from my Art professor regarding the five pages of pure, unadulterated improvisation that I submitted to her. I'm just hoping she'll pull the old: "You know what? I'm tired. I'll just scan through this thing and give her full marks for it." Or maybe the paper's better than I think it is. Either way, I'm still waiting for an official grade.
Now all I have to worry about this Summer is taking the GRE. And sunburn. And mosquitoes. Nice, right?
Okay, I'm done now. Really. I'm done. No more, I swear. Right now. Now I'm done. Seriously I - ...
