Decompression

And then there was silence.

One of the most stressful weeks in my life has finally drawn to a close. A thesis defense, massive term papers, finals, the worst French final exam ever, and an icy drive home over The Mountain of death brought to a close 18 hours of classes, grad school applications, and the dreaded GRE. Some things worked, some things didn't. But most importantly, it's all over.

Four years of work will draw to a final close (hopefully) next Friday. I keep knocking on anything made of wood whenever I say the word graduation. I'm not tempting the wrath from high atop the thing before I know my French final grade for certain.

Today presented itself with the most unusual feeling I've had in years. Not knowing what to do with myself. I finished my final edit of my thesis, sent it off, cleaned up the disaster area that followed my week long studying benders, and rearranged my now empty bookshelf - having sold off my stack of textbooks for a whopping $30. Then I sat in my chair - the one I had been perched in for a week while frantically finishing my thesis, and realized... I had no homework. At all. The stacks of books, the study guides, the notes, the empty cans of coke, the coffee cups... it was all gone. The office was empty, my stack of games laid out neatly for me to choose from.

And for the first time in four months, and truly for the first time since the summer of 2002, there is nothing to do. No classes, no homework, no writing, no reading, no studying, no planning of any sort needed to be done. And even better yet, there is nothing coming up. This is no mere Christmas Break. This year it's just... Christmas. There is no break because there's no semester (knock on wood again) to return to in three weeks. There is nothing. Absolutely nothing.

I'm... I'm... I'm free! Free!!!!!!!

And the first day of freedom has been interesting. I'm elated, I giggle, I have color in my cheeks. My eyes look slightly less baggy, my eyes aren't bloodshot, my head doesn't hurt, and my mind isn't reeling with due dates. I'm laughing, I'm happy to see people, I'm enjoying life. I am no longer the uptight, anal retentive, sarcasm spewing monster that four years of work had warped me into.

What the hell is wrong with me?

For those of you who haven't experienced it yet (and you will), I will explain. For every undergrad, there is at least a week after your studies are complete when you will decompress. Your brain, your body, your entire psyche must shift out of the mindset of reading assignments, due dates, homework, commute times, and upcoming tests. You are no longer the College Student. You are a mere mortal. You now have to worry about things like... did I leave the light on? Do we have enough milk? Am I going to play Call of Duty 2 or Rise of Nations this evening? Paper or plastic? You're going to feel a little unsure of yourself, a little light-headed, and filled with a strange sensation. Fear not, dear friend, you're not having an aneurysm - that would have happened during finals. That warm, fuzzy feeling you're experiencing from your toes to your head is freedom baby, freedom. It's sorta how the President of the United States feels the day after he leaves office. Which reminds me - you're also feeling acutely unemployed.

Amazingly enough, I can feel my sanity - nay, my very soul returning to my being. I'm no longer a manic, agitated, nervous wreck. I'm actually quite mellow - which explains the tone of this whole post.

And on the bright side - it means my Skewed Readers (including the freak who put us on Wiki), can look forward to regular updates.

On the downside - without uptight professors, depressed friends, and psychotics of every shape, size, and flavor, I don't have a clue what I'm going to write about.

Stay tuned. Skewed might just be entering a new era.