To the airport!

Finals are all done, all passed with good grades I think, and I am preparing to depart for the wintry hinterland that is the West Coast….they have had 8 inches of snow (which we haven't had in my whole memory) and multiple days below freezing. My flight leaves on Saturday morning, and I had difficulty finding a ride, so I will be heading out to the airport sometime Friday.
Just think of the joys of spending the night in the flipping airport….ick ick. I am trying to gird up the loins of my mind against the misery of sleeping in the airport. Travel is always an epic day-long saga, but this time it will be an epic two-day-long saga.

FESTIVE!

"How may I help you panic? Allow me to assist you!"

The above was my response to my beloved roommate indicating that she needed help panicking over final exams/projects. I don't believe we reached a consensus as to whether that would be better accomplished by my calmly talking her through the alarm, or running screaming through the house with her.

It has been bitter cold here lately: it fits well with the general mood of crisis, but roommate's string of Christmas lights on the tree outside the apartment does make things festive. We have had a round of festivities here: a little party for the gals in the apartment Friday night, visiting a recently-married friend, trip to the mall, and chai party last night, apartment mates + their boyfriends for brisket dinner tonight, and the gala event of Finals Eve celebrations later this evening. 

Chai party is a fabulous event in which fellow students walk in masses to the just-off-campus home of a professor (or possibly just an alum…I am still not sure), there to shiver, toast marshmallows and fingers, and drink copious amounts of chai tea until the midnight hour. At last month's party I unwisely consumed about 3 cups of the stuff (it is so doctored up with milk and sugar that you don't realize you're drinking a lot of TEA). Much, much later that night I was positively twitching as I talked to my roommate at 80 mph hehe *twitch twitch-twitch-twitch*. 

Finals Eve starts with a candlelit prayer and praise service at 9, progresses to the student center at 10 for the all-campus Christmas party, and winds up at 11 with Midnight Pizza Breakfast. Finals, of course, start tomorrow. But really--would anybody be going to bed before midnight anyways? 

Also, festive is the word of the day…or week….word of the month, actually. I just love that word! FESTive……it just sounds like a party! It makes you want to just FEST all over the place!