Holly Jolly Finals!?!

Did you know that in the midst of the fun of holidays -- tree-decorating, cookie-baking, village-setting-up -- college students have tons of exams and studying to do? I think this happened when I was an undergrad, too. What mis-scheduling, right?
Anyway, I'm keeping my head up as finals attempt to knock me on my butt (B says I shouldn't be wearing sneakers in the snow, anyway). I've got some nice plans for our long break, and I've already got a few accomplishments to feel good about:

• A terrific time at B's work holiday party. Fantastic appetizers, including little corndogs, tiny tomato soups with grilled cheese and bacon-wrapped somethings. Fantastic drinks. Fantastic people to talk to -- I chatted with a librarian pal, someone with a doctorate in pharmacology who takes care of mice at her job, one of B's handsome colleagues and other nice folks. I also got to rock a 10-year-old awesome dress, bare legs (in December? Yes!), fancy shoes, a little fur scarf-type-thing, and lots of jewelery. We had a delightful time -- and here's a photo of me waiting for the CTA Holiday Train to pick us up.
  
  
• A huge victory in my foundations class! For our lab final we had to handle a scenario -- mine including a abdominal assessment, a skin assessment, giving my "patient" insulin, and inserting a urinary catheter (in a mannequin). This skill is sterile and requires a dexterous hand as well as a fair amount of setup. I did it all almost perfectly, explained my challenges and got a "wonderful job" from my surly lab instructor. My biggest lesson from the whole exam was to speak my mind. I had questions that my instructor couldn't answer -- he was just an observer -- but I still vocalized them, and I explained every challenge I came upon calmly and like I knew what I was doing. Victory!

• Two tests down -- Wellness and Research! Plus an 'A' locked up in Intro (which doesn't have a final). Pardon my blog-absence -- I've been in test-mode, but I'm a tiny-test break right now.

• Three tests to go -- Nutrition, Pathophysiology and Foundations. I've got lots of studying to do but I'm feeling pretty good about my performance so far. My last test is on Saturday morning and some classmates have already planned for a bar crawl starting at 11 a.m. Whoa!