And the Curtain Closes

Rarely have I been so thrilled to get my final grades entered than I was today. This was a rough semester, not only because of the number of classes I was teaching but also with all the work on my house and some other weird things that were going on. I had no doubt that I would make it to the end; if I didn't think I could handle it, I wouldn't have taken so much on. But that doesn't mean it was easy. The minute I entered the last grade for the last student and hit "submit" I felt at least twenty pounds lighter. (Unfortunately, I know I'm not. This semester hasn't been great for my weight -- or overall health, for that matter.) My first thought was, "Now I can do whatever I want to, without feeling guilty!" In that moment, I had grand thoughts of finishing my gift wrapping, cleaning my floors, and reading a book. That moment passed, and all I wanted to do was eat a piece of chicken and watch mindless television. Tomorrow is soon enough to get on to everything else. It's been less than two hours since I entered the grades, and three students have emailed me already to question theirs. I'll answer later. I need a few minutes off.