Finals time. I have my only two tests tomorrow but, instead of studying, I’m writing a blog post. Yeah, that’s just so studious of me. It’s been something of a case of ennui with me though (yes, I’m making excuses and rationalizing my behavior). It’s just been hard to get that motivation going after peaking academically a week (or so) ago. You see, in September, I submitted a paper for the 2007 Annual Meeting of the Classical Association of the Middle-West and South. Well I was supposed to be notified about acceptance in the middle of November but that dragged into early December, so I just figured that it was a no-go (not a huge surprise, since undergraduates very rarely get into this). But then two weeks ago I found the acceptance letter in my mailbox. Needless to say, I was ecstatic. And then on reading day I presented my thesis, which actually grew out of that paper. My paper, The Runner and the Iliad, was exceptionally well-received by the department and the 20-some people who came to my presentation on Reading Day. So give me a little slack about this lack of burning desire to study.