Grab the Lapels

Sunday Lowdown #253

THIS WEEK IN REFLECTION

I’m not sure how closely folks pay attention to things, but I realized yesterday that at some point my Sunday Lowdown posts went from #211 to #112. And I just kept going forward from there! Yesterday, I went through and renumbered 41 blog posts. Yeesh. Anyway, yes, this is Sunday Lowdown #253.

It was final exam week, meaning there was a great deal of tension between anticipating exams and waiting for exams. I swore up, down, left, and right that one exam was on Tuesday, so my interpreting cohort planned a Christmas gathering for Monday morning. Haha, the exam was 10:30AM on Monday. I was able to eat some snacks and exchange gifts then race to my final. Afterward, I went back to the party, and we played Poetry for Neanderthals, which is so much fun! I should get my own, as I always enjoy playing it.

Once the Christmas gathering on Monday was finished, there was a long stretch to get to Thursday morning, the date of my last two exams. So, just 2.5 days of me bouncing around, worrying, trying figure out the meaning of life on these gray Indiana days. I think I turn into an Edgar Allan Poe character when I don’t know what to do with myself.

I thought about shopping at used book stores for something to occupy my mind, but if you notice my total “bill” near the bottom, I’ve already spent quite a bit. I realized that I should go to the library and wander around like I’m buying, check out a ton of books, keep them in my home office for three weeks, then take them back. It’s a pretty similar high to buying books, and it’s not like I’m reading all the books I buy as they come through the door anyway.

I did decide to go to Costco for protein bars — just a small task to check off the list — and ended up spending almost $300 (hey, $20 of that was for gas). It’s the Costco curse! But they just had so much good stuff for Christmas in addition to the grocery items I bought for Nick and me. Once you have a house, you can easily stock up on things.

Another strategy I took was to start work on my Sociology and Religion class. I think I explained that I designed it myself, so even though the semester doesn’t start until Dec. 18th, I got started on my reading. More on that next Sunday.

Finally, Thursday rolled around, meaning I could take my last two final exams. The first was no sweat; in ASL we memorize a small script created by Deaf actors and record ourselves with a partner. The only “sweating” part was my partner was struggling. She had injured her leg, was anticipating a long drive home, and was basically “done” with the semester in bigger way than simply “I’m finished!” Many of us know that feeling.

Then I had to bounce around for 3 hours waiting for my interpreting final. Here is how the exam went. There were two videos, one in English and one in ASL. We had to interpret both with a 55 minute time limit. Each video was 5 minutes, meaning 10 minutes just to watch the videos, and at the end 10 minutes to record myself. Total, that means I had 35 minutes to figure out what these people were saying in one language, what they really mean, and find the equivalent in the other language. My timer stopped at 53:48. I about had a heart attack. However, I just looked at the grades for that interpreting final, and I earned an A-!

As I left the exam, two other students came out of their exam rooms, too. They invited me to eat at the dining hall. They said they will lose any swipes they have left once winter break starts, so why not feed me. I said okay, and truly, this was a great way to end the semester after having been alone and anxious most of the week. I’m so grateful to them for welcoming me to share a meal.

IT DIDN’T MAKE IT TO GRAB THE LAPELS

N/A

THIS WEEK’S BLOG POST

I’m so glad I could renew folks’ interest in Helene Turen’s little short story/reads-like-a-novella duo. An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed got a lot of love, so I hope you follow through and get the book! I do recommend the audio if you want to hear the Swedish names accurately.

NEXT WEEK’S BLOG POST

Most famous for her novels, L.M. Montgomery wrote a slew of short stories, too, to support her family. Several were not collected into a book until editor Rea Wilmshurst got involved. Check out my post Wednesday on the type of stories Montgomery tells best, the romance, when I review At the Altar.

BOOKS I BOUGHT

Books I paid for (that are not textbooks) since January 2023: totaling $68.04.

BOOKS ADDED TO THE TBR PILE

I picked out two Christmas books for our holiday commutes. And of course I have to check out the new Connie Willis.

37 comments

  1. Yay for finals being over! Well done! So nice of the students to buy you lunch! It reminded me of my freshman year of college at the end of the first semester I had so much left on my food card and it was use it or lose it, that I hosted an ice cream party for everyone on my dorm floor. It was so much fun!

    I like your library book strategy instead of buying books.

    I enjoyed The Road to Roswell. There were some saggy bits, but overall it was quite entertaining. Also, the Stupidest Angel is pretty good too. It’s typical Christopher Moore, quite irreverent. Some of the humor falls a bit flat, but still a fun book. Enjoy!

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    • An ice cream party! That was so kind of you. I wonder how it is that students pay for food and then the swipes don’t roll over, but I also know that when it comes to money/planning, having money roll over is a bit of a disaster. Besides, all the days that the students didn’t eat food, that they skipped, were also days that the dining hall made enough food for them to eat.

      We’ll see how the library idea goes and if the spouse is on board with it. I can see it working out just fine, and I know from past work experience that using the library proves to the tax payers/county that the library is necessary.

      The Road to Roswell has a great synopsis. I’ve enjoyed other Willis books, though oddly not Doomsday Clock, which everyone else seems to love! I feel regret over that. Both of the Christmas books are for holiday commuting, so I’ll have Nick with me when we listen to them. He loves Moore, although the author’s attempt at crime noir fell flat for us.

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  3. Congratulations on your grade for that final! I’m glad you were able to have lunch with your colleagues as well – that sounds like a great way to end the semester. I am also very ready for term to be done – I have five days left before my annual leave starts!

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      • I have very little planned. I’m off for three weeks! I can’t remember the last time I had so much time off work in one go, especially without any commitments. I’m going up to London for a day next week to watch the Christmas episode of a favourite radio show being recorded, and London is always very Christmassy at this time of year, so that will be nice. My mum and brother are coming to me for a few days over Christmas, as well. But really I have nothing planned!

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          • It’s in Oxford, not London, though I think someone does go to or from London during the story. It’s not actually a radio play I’m seeing but a classical radio show – but the Christmas editions of these shows usually have live music! So in effect I’m going to see a Christmas concert, just with a lot of talking in between.

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    • LOL! Laila, what are you buying at Target? I always think of it as the college student store because they have so much matching stuff, but the colors are always more vibrant than you would see in a house yet are fitting for a dorm room. Tell me more!

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      • Let’s see… coffee, snacks, makeup, home goods, health and beauty aids… not really clothes but I actually did find a shirt there in the last couple of months that I like! Oh it’s definitely not just for the kids! I always say it’s for people who don’t mind paying just a little more to NOT have to deal with the hell that is Walmart. And what’s wrong with vibrant colors?? 😉

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  5. Congratulations on completing your exams and on that grade. Good for you.

    I loved your description of going to the library – and having them sit on your shelf and then returning them is just like buying books you dont read. I know both these behaviours!

    This “Once you have a house, you can easily stock up on things” made me laugh because I’ve just been telling people that one thing about apartment living is that you can’t stock up!

    I love that those stdent friends “fed” you. How kind and sensible!

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  6. Starting a semester on Dec 18 sounds weird to an Australian, that’s when we all knock off, if not for summer then at least well into the new year (I stopped working more than a week ago).
    Well done on your exam results.

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    • December 18th through January 10th, or something like that, is a quick winter term. I’m doing it because the tuition costs 1/3 of what it does in fall and spring. It’s not normal to do a winter term.

      What are you doing with your time off? Has everyone got you moving houses and carting things around, and whatnot?

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  7. Congrats on the A! That’s spectacular.

    The Hercule Poirot looks so good. Your friends inviting you to eat some grub with them warms my heart, sitting down for food together brings people closer, and I love it.

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    • I think the only Agatha Christie I’ve read is Murder on the Orient Express, so she’s still pretty new to me. I’m hoping the Christmas theme really comes through and not just “It was Christmas” and then a whole bunch of other stuff.

      Maybe I should host some students for dinner. One lady is going to let me piggyback on her gym membership because the university gym is closing all winter for floor remodeling.

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  9. Woo! Congrats on slaying those exams! 😀
    Poetry for Neanderthals looks so fun. We have a few games by that guy and they’re always hilarious. 😛
    Omg the Costco Curse is so real. Ugh, my bank account shudders with fear any time I even think about going there. D:

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  10. That was incredibly nice of those kids to invite you to lunch AND buy it for you. I feel like you’ve met a bunch of nice people at this school compared to your old one. Am I wrong??
    Congrats on doing so well on your exam!! That HAS to feel good.
    I LOVE Costco. I haven’t been in a few months, but I need to go again soon. I love stocking up in the winter so that I have to go out less. (Other than work which of course forces me to do so 5 days out of the week.)

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