finals week, round 1, &c.

today: physics final & darwin final paper.

physics went well enough. we were given two hours to complete the final but i had the 35 multiple choice exam finished in under 20 minutes. it's always nervewracking to be the first done. am i missing something? did i not get a page? am i just an idiot? but even after checking the five pages of answers all seemed in its place. talked to the professor on my way out and she guaranteed me an A if i didn't massively blow the final.

darwin was another matter. the final paper has been giving me troubles for the last two weeks. motivation has been rare and not even knowing that this is my last full course in my major seemed to provide the impetus needed for a real burst of divine inspiration. my thesis was muddled and the conclusion weak. the paper's organization was implicit, not explicit. i think this is due to the professor swearing off writing like a sociologist (i'm going to tell what i'm going to tell you, tell it to you and then tell you what i just told you - it's boring). i was more engaged in the writing language but i got lost in the structure. even working alongside my outline proved confusing because the words never exactly matched up. hoping for a B.

excited about fall quarter next year, though. after england credits have been counted i'll have 59 total credits, with 60 needed to complete my major. in the fall i will be taking a two credit directed independent study with a great WWII professor i've had in the past. he told me to pick out "five or six books, the subjects of which are my prerogative." my readings are focused around the sabotage, resistance efforts, conspiracies and spy cock-ups of WWII. shane gave me a book two summers ago, operation jedburgh, and this inspired the subversive topic for my course of study.

communications final tomorrow at 6pm. good thing i haven't studied at all for that. philosophy final wednesday at 10.30.

-e