Finals Week?

Sorry if I upset anyone by saying this, but my finals week is really nonexistent. It's probably the best finals week I've ever had. Oh, I bet someone, someone who has pulled two allnighters or has been living off of coffee for the past couple days, wants to shoot me right now.

But I believe as a senior about to graduate I deserve a light and breezy finals week.

Obviously I've had to conquer some work. I wrote a really fun paper for senior capstone about various epiphanies I've had during my college years. And I realized yesterday that I forgot to do my portfolio for Newspaper Production class. So I quickly pulled that together while I was at work and handed it in in time to Mr. Rick Jackson who wished my luck in my week as I strutted off happily in my cute Monday outfit. Currently I am finishing up my Shakespeare take-home final, in which I get to explore the notion that "all the world's a stage, and the men and women are merely players." It's fun; I like writing about these things.

The only thing I'm NOT looking forward to is my History of English final on Thursday. Blaugh.

In the middle of all these final-y things, I have gotten to spend some lovely time with lovely friends in my life.

Donuts with Stacey

A walk down music memory lane with Moorea, Stacey, and Katie. BBMak, we miss you.

A midnight candle ceremony at the canal with Patrick, Katie and Moorea. Watch out for the river rats!

Birthday brunch for Britta

Followed by "birthday cake" with Britta & co.

A student worker party at my office that I was 25 minutes late for because I forgot about it. Picture me in my pajamas, unshowered, bursting into a professional conference room filled with all my adult coworkers sitting around a long table... waiting for me. Needless to say, the laughed at me

(If I had a photo of this event, I would post it. Sadly no one captured this moment on camera)

Three words: English Department Party. We are (not) a crazy bunch. Sometimes I just hate English majors. We are freaking pretentious people. But I loved seeing my favorite profs, esp. SUZANNE WOLFE.

I got to witness a great scene between her and her husband Greg. It went something like this:

GREG: Do you remember our first date?

SUZANNE: Of course.

GREG: "A Winter's Tale" in Stratford. With Helen Mirren?

SUZANNE: No, it was Judi Dench.

GREG: It was definitely Helen Mirren.

SUZANNE: No it wasn't. It was Judi Dench.

ALLIE: Which one of you has the better memory?

SUZANNE POINTS AT HERSELF AND LIPS, "Me"

GREG: She has the better memory for clothes. She can remember what we were wearing.

SUZANNE: You sexist pig!

GREG: Yah, I know.

Nachos and cervezas with a fabulous friend named Brielyn, a fellow English major graduate. Except she's not pretentious. Quite the opposite. We are going to be buddies at graduation and sit next to each other because we are cool. I hope she doesn't get mad at me for posting her pic, but she's such a beauty.

Venice in Three Days

Three days was not enough time for Venice and I to get properly acquainted. She is a beautiful, unique and charming little city. Maybe if I were to be a city, I would choose Venice. She is on the water, as you know, but I did not realize the reality of it. There are no cars! Only boats! And there really are murky blue-green canals everywhere you turn. And old stone bridges that curve over them.
What I enjoyed the most was the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. It is a small museum, but it holds such contemporary-art treasures by Klee, Pollock, Picasso, Calder... Oh, I could go on really. You know how I feel about modern art.
Friendships are growing and flourishing, but I am ever and always thinking of my loved ones at home in Seattle and Santa Barbara.
It is hard to believe that Italy is behind me now. Yes, I am in Vienna, Austria. I do not know this language in the least, and I am not too fond of sausages, but as Annie sings when she moves into Daddy Warbucks house: I think I'm gonna like it here!