Dear Gentlest Readers:
My comprehensive exams are over. I have my life back. Well, as much as one has a life in grad school.
Overall, I found the experience quite amazing. I read many texts that I had been avoiding, only to learn I love them (especially Pride and Prejudice). I also decided to shift my research to the 14th and 15th centuries (blame Julian of Norwich - she is just so awesome). So all in all, it was a successful summer. The exams themselves felt overly stressful, and, honestly, an annoying exercise. I am sure in a few months (if I passed) I will feel differently, but right now, the last month or so was frighteningly painful in a way the rest of the summer wasn't. I spent every hour worrying about an exam that seems arbitrary at best. Well, it's over and I can say I did it. We should have gotten t-shirts.
So looking forward. I am currently in Donship training. Once again, I will be living in residence helping the undergrads not make bad life choices. Should be fun. Actually, I am an academic don, which means I am an in-house English TA. Oh and I got a tutorial this year for my TA assignment. So I will actually teach a class every Friday! And the course: The Literary Tradition. Yes, you read it right, readers-- ALL THE BOOKS. I am teaching them all (n.b.: Writer may be exaggerating). Between the Donship and my tutorial this year, I will get tons of teaching experience. So excited. It's honestly why I am here, so I look forward to it. I love research, but I love working with students more.
Tons of research these next few months. I am working on putting together my committee (I know all the members. I just haven't asked them. *crosses fingers*). Also, I have to write up a proposal for my dissertation, which will basically involve reading tons of Chaucer and Augustine. My life could certainly be worse. Oh and I am working on a proposal for the big medievalist conference at Kalamazoo! Hopefully I will post a few thoughts here as I work on these projects.
Finally, I get to do some housekeeping that I have been putting off like sorting files I have been avoiding ALL SUMMER (and doing laundry, which I haven't been avoiding all summer). It feels great to be a human being again.
-Your humble author.