Two down, two to go.
I'll have another done by the end of this morning, hopefully, as they are exams and I can mark exams much faster than essays.
Leaving the intro papers and exams.
But I'll celebrate my achievements as they happen.
Because they aren't happening as quickly as I'd like.
In fact, the reason the crime and film grades are in is because I couldn't sleep, in spite of the absolute exhaustion running rampant through my being.
Meaning I was up at 3.00 am to finish marking, computing and final grading.
And here I am again, 8.00 am, waiting for Em to complete her morning routine so I can drive her to school, drop off papers, pick up exams and begin all over again.
You know you've been marking too much when the idea of moving from papers to exams is almost exciting.
I spent several hours in Starbucks last evening.
Marking.
Of course.
Em, Christmas shopping while I sat at a table with papers scattered around me, thoughts
dribbling out of my brain in an attempt to provide a sense of cogent feedback on the papers.
(This just in. Don't take a swig of coffee just as you're about to be pounced upon by a Dibley, as it will cause coffee to scoot up your nose. A runny nose is one thing. A coffee running nose is a completely different beast.)
Marking aside, what was interesting was watching the people around me.
While every other place is brimming with people running all over the place like chickens with their heads cut off, Starbucks is unusually calm.
Empty tables waiting for someone to make use of them.
Even the Starbucks line up wasn't all the way past the magazine rack.
Apparently, people don't need coffee to fuel up for shopping.
I would.
I will.
On Friday when I tackle the mall first thing in the morning to finish my Christmas shopping.
I still espouse the absence of credit cards.
But it does mean taking one for the team, on occasion.
Such as Christmas shopping on the 23rd.
Only to be outdone by shopping on the 24th.
And even I am not that crazy.
Back to Starbucks.
Or avoiding marking by paying more attention to those around you than what's in front of you.
Small children screaming and crying because their parents continue to drag them all over the mall in search of the "perfect Christmas gift" when all these little tots want is to be at home.
Micheal Buble piped through the speakers singing about how we should be willing to let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
Until someone has to shovel all that snow, and you can bet Michael Buble doesn't shovel his driveway.
Probably doesn't live anywhere it snows, anyway.
And then later, a version of River, not by Sarah MacLachlan, whose rendition is the best.
Unlike Joni Mitchell, whose singing is akin to nails on a chalkboard.
For me anyway.
Stephen is enthralled with her voice.
The young woman across from me who chose to share her entire phone conversation, as one-sided as it was, with everyone around her.
Catching bits and pieces of her conversation, because who couldn't.
Something about someone dropping out of university and hadn't told his parents yet; his mom would be understanding, his dad not so much, and moving into the apartment building where Mer currently lives.
And the two guys across from me paging through a magazine about the interiors of period houses.
And the other two guys beside me whose conversation was two-sided but still didn't make any sense to me, as they talked about ripping game consoles from walls during some relationship frustration frenzy.
Across from me, however, is a kindred spirit.
A woman filling out referee forms for grad school applications.
She looked at me, I looked at her.
We gave each other the "I-know-your-pain" look.
Me thinking I'd still take marking over writing reference letters or filling out grad school referee form.
ANY DAY.
The Pentecostal woman who walked by with knee high stiletto boots.
Oxymoron anyone?
And then, Mer.
Who heard from Em that I was marking in Starbucks and decided to nip over for a minute to say hello.
Which was nice.
Especially since, when she went home and came back to the mall for reasons I have yet to fathom, she was going to bring some Gravol.
A futile effort for me to sleep.
Which reminded me of the time I sent Stephen to the Superstore for Gravol and instead of bring back actual swallow-with-liquid Gravol, brought me Gravol suppositories.
You can imagine where I wanted to shove those.
Stephen's parents were very generous this year.
As they are every year.
So Stephen and I decided that it was time to FINALLY get curtains for the front picture window.
Same as the ones we put in the back.
When Stephen was hanging the newly purchased drapes, he realized the previously purchased drapes were hung upside down.
Me, I would have left them.
They worked.
But Stephen.
NOT in this lifetime.
Ever.
Before I even returned home, he'd taken the previously hung drapes down and fixed them.
Because he's Stephen.
Today is the court day.
I was SO hoping someone would come to their senses and realize that this entire thing is a waste of time.
No such luck.
At 1.00 I'll be in the courtroom ready to give testimony regarding what I saw that fateful day.
Lucky me.
I'll have to hold back my scathing comments regarding how I really feel about this process, especially when I have marking to do.
Maybe I'll take the marking with me.
Title Lyric: River by Sarah MacLachlan
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