Advil?

Undergrad classes = over.
Essays = written & handed in.
Thesis = nearly finished and presented.
Exams = will be over in a flirtatious bat of the eye.
Why doesn't the CBC write about me???

I couldn't sleep last night (possibly those two cheeseburgers eaten under D's approving gaze) and now I'm swimming in one of those high-pressure headaches, like there's a belt yanked around my skull and unlike my waist I can't "suck in" my skull so it's just getting tighter and tighter... I've got about 50,000 word documents open as I try to finish my thesis and every word sends a pulse of anxiety from my fingertips on the keyboard to the homesick center in my brain. I am scared about this summer! About moving to a new apartment by myself! About the logistics of trying to find a place in Montreal for the fall! About having that urgent feeling with people that we have to do everything and do it now because my rocket pack is firing up to blast me away!

On the other hand, I'm excited for the summer, turning things inside out and shaking out all the crumbs, and, most of all, sitting on my balcony ... or in the park ... or in a cafe... and reading the hell out of all my books! I'm going to read the two Boydon books first:




And then we'll see... I've definitely got to read the Nino Ricci Lives of the Saints trilogy this summer since he graduated from Concordia with an MA in Creative Writing!!! Also, my boss Stephen has a friend, Hadley Dyer, who recently published a novel for young adults which the Globe and Mail listed this weekend as one of ten best books for teens to read... Hadley used to work for Stephen when he was in charge of Chapters... sooooo... the obvious connection: young writers who work for Stephen are destined for G&M greatness.

OH MY GOODNESS
I nearly forgot to mention the best news of all.... she is too modest, I think, to brag about it herself, so I will do it for her! Sara Clark, the Sassy Scribe, the Saucy Storyteller, the Sweet Scripter, has won the Marguerite Dow award for her short story, "Figures on a Street!" See the arts & humanities website for the official congrats!

OKAY... must get back to work... I had nightmares last night about tomorrow's thesis reading (which might also be contributing to the headache) so I'd better get moving on it. I have a new shirt to wear for it, but I can't decide if it's too slinky or not! Decisions must be made.