Another semester (my last - woohoo!) begins. I have high hopes for the semester; I always like the idea of starting over from scratch.

Things haven't exactly gone smoothly so far, however. I left the house later than I'd planned, but that turned out not to be too much of a problem. Then, when I arrived at school, the garage door to the service entrance was closed - forcing me to brave the man-made wind tunnel that is the path from the parking lot to the student entrance. When it's 4 degrees outside, as it is, this can be less-than-pleasant.

I made it safely inside and headed for one of the refrigerators so I could stow my lunch. The smell in the student vending/lockers/bathroom was almost unbearable. It was a rotten stench and I honestly couldn't tell if it was coming from the fridges or the bathrooms.

Once in the library, I plugged in my computer and waited patiently for internet service. And waited. And waited. For some reason, I can't get wireless access today. The signal is strong, but the system won't verify my password. I heaved a sigh of frustration and pulled out my cable to gain access. It's working, sort of. I have gotten inexplicably kicked off several times.

But I will persevere!!! I will not let these minor inconveniences get me down. At 9am on the first day of my last semester I still have a positive outlook. Anyone placing bets on how long that will last?