Oxford Dusting

Well half of CMRS is having fits of joy this morning; it snowed.  Not what WE would call snow in the midwest - actual accumulation of annoying white barrier between home, work, and school that is going to turn black in a day or two and make you remember how much you hate ice - no, this is more of a bit of fluffy rain clinging to the walkways and building tops for decoration.  Seriously, it has to be less than 1/8th of an inch here.

Now, where were we?  Oh yes, climbing the last hill of papers to sight the final days coming up fast from the distance.  As some of you know, my Classical Mythology tutor was advised to take the rest of the term off for health reasons, so I am meeting his replacement today.  Since class was so sporadic and disjointed in terms of when we met and what was assigned, I may have to do two papers more for this rather than the one.  This is a considerable difference given that I have my Seminar paper due this Friday and my Integral paper due on the 8th - so getting 1 more paper in there would be not so bad, putting 2 in might be straining the capacity just a bit.  We shall see though.  Meanwhile, I just turned in my last Viking Literature paper today at tutorial, huzzah!  I also donated all of my books for that class with the primary material to the Feneley Library here at CMRS, so anyone who is taking that class after me - the books are available and you will not have to buy them.  ^.^  Really, I couldn't take them all back with me anyway - luggage space is going to be at a premium - and I think they are much better off here being used and taken care of than being put away in my basement for some distant possible future reference.  When I'm a big, growed-up teacher person I'll treat myself to a handsome leather bound set or something perhaps.

Everyone is getting down to their last batch of papers around here and for the first time this place really is like a hive of academics all buzzing busily away trying to get everything done before the final week so they can party or explore or just relax for the last few days here in Oxford.  I am, of course, extending my trip for a few days to be with my love in London for five days and looking forward to seeing him is the carrot right now at the end of my "get it done" stick.  It seems like I just got into the rhythm here and have a good flow going between working and more working and now it is coming to an end.  Ah, such is life I guess.  I am very much looking forward to coming home as well and making cookies and doing the Christmas thing with family and friends, showing off my England swag and making people watch my 'home movies.'  Wow, that sort of makes me feel a little old right there... Hmph.

I think the fact that I am coming home to the holiday season makes leaving here a little easier.  It would, I think, be harder to want to come home (I've pondered a second term here about a billion times, but I just couldn't do that to my sweetie or my family or my bosses who've all been awesomely generous letting me go on this trip as it is) if it wasn't such a deep desire in my heart to be home for Christmas.  Hm... maybe this tiny bit of fluffy rain that people keep calling snow really is making me a tiny bit homesick - scratch that, not homesick just excited about seeing home again.