Grad School = Babysitting + the Olympics,

(Day 14) I had to proctor an exam for my first year sociology class on Friday, which is essentially a 3 hour babysitting session that is both frustrating and infuriating. All I really get to do is answer questions/define words (dumb ones mostly - actually got 'what does decline mean? Does that mean up or down?) and walk them to the bathroom. I am super glad that I am beyond the time of having to write exams, but I sort of feel like this thesis is just one monstrous exam, but instead of 3 hours to write it, i get 3 months (I actually get more, but it woudn't have fit the alliterative number theme there). On the bright side, i get more bathroom breaks without the escort.

With all that said, there is the super scary final 'exam' at the end of the thesis under the guise of an oral defence. I've been to a few of these, and they work exactly the opposite way, they ask you the definitions and the stupid questions (stupid only because they are ridiculously difficult). Also, I've never seen someone excuse themselves from the table, so I am not even sure if you are allowed to get up for a bathroom break. Mental and physical anguish - maybe the thesis writing experience should be in the Vancouver Olympics as a biathalon or something. But ask any other grad student, and there is a lot more pain going into this than just that, so it would be more of a triskaidekathalon (that's 13 events, significant in itself). But this is months away, so I will shelf the idea and settle for a pat on the back for using the word* (possibly coining the word) triskaidekathalon.

'run the triskaidekathalon to this' song of the day: Thirteen - Wilco