Academic Overkill

I'm sorry I didn't write yesterday. It has been a state of academic chaos around here. We're leaving for Egypt Tuesday so we are getting all these exams and assignments in in a short span of time. It is very overwhelming. I didn't do as great on my first slide test as I would have liked-- I blanked out a lot. I knew the answer, but the answer would suddenly escape my mind-- only to return as I disappointedly sat on the couch afterwards. Why do my epiphanies seem to occur with such poor timing?

We have our first real test tonight. I am pretty nervous and I'm trying to cram centuries and centuries of time in my head all at once. I have come to the conclusion that if the Greeks weren't fighting someone at any one period of time, they were plotting the next time they would do so. So many wars. So many dates. So many leaders. So many things to remember.

Oh, and Greek class has taught me the origin of the phrase, "It's Greek To Me"-- so complicated! I feel like a first-grader again, staring at the whiteboard, desperately trying to grasp the alphabet. I am too young to remember the frustration that came with the first round of learning my letters, but at 21 I will probably remember my attempts at this one. I also learned that there is no "sh" sound in Greek, therefore the teacher told me my name is "Aston"..you can guess the laughs that one got. I now get that occasionally from my fellow students, along with the "Can I call you Ash in Greek?" (Put two and two together..)

My teacher also told me later, without me asking, that Ashton means to "Let the boys alone" or "Leave the boys alone." I laughed, telling her that must be the core of my dating problems-- that my name was my own self-fulfilling prophecy. She proceeded to compare me to Jabez, whose name was a prophecy of his pain...thanks, Vicky. There goes my hope of true love-- I guess I'll leave 'em and let 'em alone! Thanks Mom and Dad! :-) Haha.

I will try to write when I can, but we're going fast. I am looking forward to Egypt-- it is going to be a dream come true to see the pyramids and King Tut's tomb! Who knows, I might even sing the Steve Martin "King Tut" song while simultaneously walking like an Egyptian. :-) All my love!