It is sort of an anomaly of scheduling that I have a midterm exam here at the end of the term. There are three big tests in this class plus a final which comes next week. I thought I was 110% prepared compared to the way I floundered earlier in the semester. However, it was still a little tough and I might even do worse than on the prior exams (which I thought I flunked, but really aced).
Anyway, things are going good (do things go well or good?-I never know) this week. Everything is falling into place. I found a really great deal on a car rental, so I can show Midori and Yai around when the come to visit Dec 17-27. We are going to go to two weddings, four Christmas parties, one ski resort in Colorado, one movie, one whirlwind tour of the Windy City, etc etc. It should be fun. Hopefully they will get a little more of an appreciation for the diversity in the States. I know I really liked my travel in Japan, but it isn't always easy to do in America.
I have very little work remaining this week. Just one final group project to work on tonight. Did I mention how much I hate this group? Everyone says that group projects are a waste of time, but this group... wastes time. It is basically the same group that I talked about earlier in the semester (minus one person, plus one person). They are big shots with summer internships under their belts and common membership in some secret society (hey-I saw some wacky bit on Simpsons about Homer being the head of the "Stone-Cutters"- I have to admit that it took me a bit to realize that it was a parody of the Masons which claims many famous and infamous members-but I digress) that makes me powerless to their stupid ideas. Anyway, we have managed to make it this far without killing each other, but the blood pressure is really rising lately. I am already mad at them tonight because they didn't want to meet until 10pm. We shoulda met yesterday cuz we got a lot of work to do at their pace...
But anyway, I have something to relieve my stress now. Gene picked me up some Kahlua last night. I don't drink much at all-don't like the taste of alcohol and am not impressed with the "cool" status it gives a person. BUT, I found this one drink in Japan that I actually like: Kahlua Milk. Now that I have my own bottle at home in the proverbial cupboard-above-the-refrigerator (is there a proverb about that?), I can "drink away my sorrows" and/or frustrations (is that a proverb?) in the comfort of my own home. Man, I finally feel like an adult. All I have to do now is starting smoking and cussing. Till next time...