Whew! I have just survived an exhausting point in my grad school career: prelims, a week chock full of essay-writing madness. It's an initiation, some might even say a hazing, into the realm of academia. But if I passed it means that I've actually learned something after two years.
One of the benefits is that my coursework is winding down. This semester is pretty light, and once it's done I have one more class I'll have to take whenever it's offered. Of course, the down side to this is that I have to start thinking about my dissertation...
But for the moment I can savor the fact that I should never have to take another test for school. Ever. I'm itching to do some sewing, but my brain is feeling a bit uncooperative. I'd probably sew something backwards and inside out. Tomorrow I should be recovered and able to work on a project, ideally my latest vintage dress project.
Meanwhile, I've decided that I need a new serger. My current one is an early 90s White that is the most difficult to thread piece of equipment ever created. I go out of my way to avoid changing the thread, and even with the old knot-tying trick it usually comes undone and I'm left trying desperately to weave the threads into an improbable path. Sewing is supposed to be fun - there's no crying in sewing, to paraphrase Tom Hanks. After years of putting up with this annoying thing, I've finally decided to pony up for a more upscale model, one that will actually help in the sewing process and not add to my collection of grey hairs. So it's off to the area Baby Lock dealers, as my research has shown that they are pretty easy to thread.
