I return at last. No, I wasn't eaten by a bear, kidnapped by Mexican bandits, or crushed by a giant Latin dictionary falling from the sky... well, almost. The Latin midterm was postponed, thank God, but I still had three others in English, theology and philosophy - as well as a history paper. Many people tried to convince our theology professor to move his exam - but to no avail. We did manage to wring a promise out of him: if the Mother of God and the three Archangels appeared to him and told him to move the exam, he would obey. Some students began praying feverishly. But as Cardinal Wolsey said in A Man for All Seasons, "there is prayer - but there is also action!" Several enterprising students surprised the professor before class on the day of the test, presenting him a scroll with impressive Gothic lettering all over it. His response was rather deflating.

"I can tell the difference between the Mother of God and Olivia R. with a pillowcase on her head. They teach you these things in graduate school."

Alas, the test was on.

Many other students were bitten by the mysterious Midterm Moose (don't ask me why a moose), contracting flu, hacking coughs and migraines at the optimally inopportune time of the night spent studying for next day's test.

I pulled through - barely. On Saturday, euphoric at having finished my hellish week, I went home with my roommate and began what should have been a glorious week-long break. But it was not to be. I had foolishly volunteered to make decorations for Medieval Fest (which will be this Saturday), and I promptly converted my room into a one-woman sweatshop. How hard could it be to make three "stained glass windows" out of posterboard and tissue paper with a persnickety glue bottle and a dull Exacto knife? Never mind...

The last window isn't quite finished, but will be soon. Two of them are large rose window-looking things, featuring (and this is my private joke) the heraldic symbol designed by Tolkien for Luthien of Doriath! The other window shows St. Joan of Arc, looking suspiciously anime-ish. I'll have some fantastic pictures up this Saturday.