Finals

Have you noticed that I’ve been silent lately? ‘Tis the season for finals, which means I’ve been trying to study instead of spending my time being creative (or lazy). It doesn’t always work. I stayed inside most of the day yesterday, refreshing my memory about the sternocleidomastoid and phonological processes like cluster reduction. Good times.

When I got up this morning, the sun was gleaming off the snow and I just had to bundle up and go for a walk. It was worth it. My neighborhood is even lovelier when covered with a fresh coat of snow. I smiled at the dogs who leapt with joy along the length of the beach. I tried to find a place to make a snow angel (it’s not deep enough yet). I walked out along the pier and marveled at the icebergs that dot the surface of the lake. And it’s still autumn. Imagine what the lake will look like in winter!

My main objective this morning, aside from getting out of my sweltering apartment, was to make a snowman. It’s harder than I expected! Maybe the snow needs to be wetter. Maybe I need a lesson. Maybe we need more than 3 inches. Who knows…. I managed to make a very small snowman with a leaf hat. It made me smile and gave me a break from thinking about the vocal tract. It was exactly what I needed.

Two finals down, and two to go. The big celebration will happen Wednesday night after 9pm, when I’ll be done with my first quarter at Northwestern. Rock on!