I always did love a happy ending.

Done!

Let's all take a moment to admire a completed, bindered, and ready-to-turn-in thesis, shall we? I even got it done a day early -- man, with time to spare! I'm so slacking on my procrastination skills...

(Dave is going to kill me for saying that).

Hello, Sarah's real life? Yes, she's done with her master's program now. Expect her to join you shortly.

fare thee well, schoolgirl.

I finished my last class today.
(I still have two projects to complete... so I'm not *totally* done, but you know... I don't have plans on stepping foot in a classroom again anytime soon.)

This makes me strangely sad. I thought I'd be stoked about finishing graduate school -- and believe me, I am -- but I've been in school full-time since Kindergarten (save the 3-month hiatus I took off during my psychology master's program when Paige was born).

I'm not sure what this means for Sarah, lifetime student, lifelong learner. I'm happy, but at the same time feel directionless and strange. I've counted on school most of my life -- it's been my rock, the thing I could turn to when I wanted to bury my mind.

I mean, I *have* hobbies...
but.

School's out.
Huh.

closure is strange

I just finished my final paper for this semester's class. Closure is always strange for me, with school. But another semester is over (tomorrow night, anyhow.)
This puts me at exactly one semester and completed thesis to go in order to finish this degree.

And I'm still not sure how life works without papers and classes to attend and research to wade through and textbooks to highlight.


But guess what, kids?
In 5 short months, we're about to find out.

musing, it's monday.

• We're having a Minneapolitan December heatwave (40s, 50!). Warm, for December... yes. Agreed. But today: the air conditioning is on at work. What? I had to go brew some Rooibos tea just to get comfortable.
  
• Did you know it costs over 40 dollars to ship a case of beer commercially? Ridiculous.
  
• I'm writing my final reflection paper for fall semester today. I don't know how fall semester is over already, but it is. I have the thing outlined. The nice thing about it, is that it is a reflection paper... I don't have to cite and research and empiricize it all. It's just, what Sarah thinks (and if you read this blog, you know I'm an expert at writing that stuff up.)
• After a cookie-baking extravaganza yesterday, it has become glaringly apparent that I am in dire need of new baking sheets. Any recommendations on great ones? Perhaps something to put on the birthday wish list.
• The best-of lists are brewing... a soundtrack 2006 (which I'm hoping to work on tonight) as well as the haphazard Sarah's Best Of... list. Stay tuned.
• I'm sad to think all of these little car dealerships (to which I am attempting to take my car for an oil change) are getting gobbled up by Big Auto (in Minneapolis, it's Denny Hecker, Morrie's and Luther.) I have a warranty, people. I need to have my car serviced at the dealership. But I do not want to make the rich, richer, if I can help it (I would prefer to support ma and pa-type dealerships).
• Must you fail a simple IQ test to be a recruiter? And does your name have to be Kandi, Cookie, Kaki, or anything else with an "i" you will inherently dot with a teensy-tiny heart? Ack.
  

In-My-Head soundtrack for December 11th: Soldados (The Alarmists), This Year (The Mountain Goats), I'm a Wheel (Wilco), The Best Is Yet To Come (Nancy Wilson), Sabotage (Beastie Boys).