"What is wrong with you?"
"Run--He's gonna rape you!"
(heard shouted on the street outside my apartment)

I am so close to done it hurts. This was my last semester of academic coursework and there's only one thing left. Final paper on Wilhelm Raabe's Unruhige Gäste is done. Final Exam on Middle High German is done.
Qualifying Paper is done.
Work for Certificate in Translation Studies is done.
Foreign Language requirements done.
All general coursework done.

Two years ago I would have said without hesitation that I wouldn't mind just taking classes all the time. I retract my statement. I'm ready for a change. Granted, working on Comprehensive Exams isn't a total change, but I'll take it for now.

The only problem is that there's still one paper standing in my way... and it is so damn difficult to focus. It doesn't help that I'm not particularly interested in the subject matter. But there aren't many options other than teeth gritting, buckling down and finishing that sucker off as quickly as possible, right? And since I know this I'm not really wasting all that much time right now--I mean, I already know exactly what I have to do!

Well, I'm going to go torture myself about this paper some more. You, on the other hand, can enjoy this quote from The Simpsons:

James Caan: Bart, Mrs. Krabapple and I are going to go play some backgammon, if you know what I mean.
Bart: I don't, but I hope you win!
Mrs. K: Oh, he's going win alright.
James Caan: Some guys like a challenge. Not me.

* * *

Everything I ever needed to know in life I learned by killing smart people and eating their brains.