Today is..the Greatest Day...????

surprise.  who knew i would spout off smashing pumpkins lyrics in this blog post? i wonder if that has some subliminal meaning?

anyway, today's the day that i begin my ph.d. exams.  i can't believe today is the day and that they are already (or finally?) here! i can't say that i got a lot accomplished during the last week but well, can't do anything about that now.  my chair told me to get a good night's sleep, so to that end i took a tylenol PM last night before getting into bed (just one, two is too much and makes me groggy all of the next day).  i did get a full 8+ hours sleep.  but this morning as i was walking down to the coffee shop and the bus stop, i started wondering if it was the tylenol PM or nerves jumping around in my stomach.  not surprising, the coffee has helped a little bit as far as settling my stomach.  i wonder if i'm going to be all edgy and tense until 1pm until i get my question.  hopefully having to teach at nine and eleven and also having to hurry up and find something for my 11 o'clock class to read on wednesday and get copies of that reading will make the time go by faster and will keep my mind occupied.

but, i also have to say that i do feel like i'm ready to start.  i recently read a blog post that gave mentor advice to graduate students, and the last one on the list of tips? let go of the guilt for not getting as much done as you wanted to get done.  for me this is great advice because well, you know how much of a perfectionist i am and how frustrated i get with myself when i don't check off everything on my to-do list.  but it's okay.  because i really do feel ready.  i have no idea what the questions i get will ask but i do know that (a) i have a plan for how the week should go and really, i think that's half the battle and (b) i have read LOTS of stuff on my first list so that means that i have LOTS of stuff to choose from as far as which primary texts to use to answer my question.  so what if i didn't read women in love? like i was going to use that book to answer my question?  puhlease.

sidebar--i can't tell you how amused i am right now to sit here and think that the way i've chosen to channel all my excess tension and nerves this morning is through writing.  speaks volumes, doesn't it.

well, i'm off to class.  my english 110 students are reading the perks of being a wallflower this week.  i absolutely adore this book and i hope they will too.  at least i know that the complaints i've gotten on past reading won't be repeated this week.  guess they'll have to find a whole new crop of complaints to come up with.

10.10 - just got back from a busted class.  i hope this is not going to establish a trend for the rest of the day

11.00 - on my way to teach my 101 class.  hope it goes better than 110.  my stomach is feeling much better.

12.30 - 101 class went much better than my 110 class.  dropped off a book at the library and walked home which let me enjoy the wonderful fall weather we are having.  about to make lunch.  waiting for my questions....

1.00 - oh boy! just opened the e-mail with my exam questions and printing them out now....blahhhhh......!!!!!

1.25 - okay so i have three questions to choose from.  i'm pretty sure i know which one i'm NOT going to answer.  and i'm also not freaking out.  all of these things are huge positives.