things don't change much...
both of these tests gave me pretty much the same answers as I've had before. The enneagram is reverse of what I thought I was last time (1 with a 9 wing last time), which probably is a reflection of the fact that I am more laid-back now than I was a couple of years ago. I took a myers-briggs test at the beginning of this year, and I was INFP, just like I always am when I take that test. I think there's something to be said for consistency, also there is something to be said for the fact that my myers-briggs results were all very close percentages, which means I'm learning to balance my extremes.

Of course, I had a good day today, and am feeling like my life is very purposeful right now, so my results reflect that.

and I'm spent
on Thursday I emailed my last paper off to my ethics professor. What a relief. All I have left are the "integrating oral exams" where we have to talk about how we have integrated all of our learning from the year. It's not really something one can study for. I think I will do fine. We'll have to see how it goes. I am very excited about the summer, I'm anxious to get out and do something, instead of just sitting around talking and thinking and writing about things.

Procrastinator is my Middle Name
...maybe I should get it legally added to my name...
I have two papers due on Wednesday, one 3 pager and one 8-10 pager. I should be working on them right now, and should have been working on them all day but instead I went shopping with some friends and bought some capris at Old Navy, and now I'm sitting here trying to figure out what courses to take in the fall, chatting on messenger, and just generally avoiding all things paper related.

Christmas is Coming and Exams are Done, Yay!
I feel very relieved to be done with my first semester of grad school classes. I know that I am approved in one of my classes, the rest I'm not sure of yet. There's something not so satisfying about not receiving letter grades - I'm still not sure what I think of this approved/not approved system. We'll have to see how it goes.
I generally felt very good about how my finals went. I actually used index cards to make study cards for the first time ever - now that I deeply care about what I'm learning, I'm making more of an effort to make sure it sticks in my head. I could hardly believe that my exam partner Kristy and I actually had fun on our Pentateuch oral exam. It was a really great experience, I'm glad it was the first exam because it made me feel at ease about the rest. My only disappointment was one final paper that I don't think I did to the best of my ability. It was a good reminder that leaving big papers to the last minute is not a good idea.

I was extremely happy to have my good friend Jessica visit me for the past six days. It had been so long since we'd last seen each other, but as soon as we saw each other, it felt like we hadn't been apart at all. Those are the best friendships, when it doesn't matter how long it has been, you just connect instantly.

Now all I have to do is pick up my Mom's Christmas present and I'll have my major shopping done and I'll be able to rest, relax, and rejuvenate over my break. I wish I could say that I refuse to read anything to do with school stuff over break, but honestly, I read theology for fun, so I'll be diving right into some good books I've picked up in the last little while but haven't had time to read.

procrastination is a beautiful thing
What better reason to write than to avoid studying for my final exams? I am really really good at procrastinating, I think it's one of my gifts, probably a spiritual one.

So the biggest test I'm studying for right now is Pentateuch - aka the first five books of the Bible. Sometimes I wonder if I learned anything this semester, and other times I realise that I know so much more now than I did in September, it's a wonder that my brain hasn't exploded... yet. Later on I need to devote some major time to history studying, which will be another area where I don't feel like I've learned anything, but I probably have.

It's Christmas time, advent actually, my favourite season, my favourite holiday. It's a mysterious, magical, wonderful time of year for me, and why do exams always seem to get in the way of this wonderful season? Actually, the unavaoidable (for me at least) happiness of the season is probably what gets me through all the exam stress. Having so much joy around keeps me going - the bright twinkly lights, the feelings of anticipation, Christmas carols that I love, the way everyone seems a little bit nicer and kinder. There is a lot to enjoy and be happy about, I feel bad for people who miss the joy of the season and only see the stress and strain. Unfortunately, I can't make my exams go away, nor count on Christmas magic to get me through.

So there is my exam-season confession - I procrastinate to no end, then count on my inherent brilliance to get me through. So far in life it's worked, hopefully it will keep working. Maybe there is a little bit of Christmas magic involved, I can definitely leave room for the mysterious to move at this time of year.