The great thing about today is that it signifies the end of my first semester in grad school.  I'm one paper shy of being 25% finished with my master's degree.  I was feeling really great about that this morning, but then I realized that a lot of the things we're doing aren't really worth anything in the athletic training world.  However, I honestly love learning.  I'd go back for several more bachelor's degrees, if I could! 


I am frustrated today because I had a professor chew my ass about a paper that's due next week that I haven't started.  I'm not a prodigy, but I'm pretty damn good at papers.  This one is only a five page paper and I have set aside roughly 20 hours in the next six days to complete it.  No problem.  She got really upset about it and was quite condescending; I'd heard enough and basically told her that the due date isn't up, so she had no right to be upset with me.  I also reminded her that I was accepted to the graduate school at NDSU, not fifth grade.  If I screw up, the only person I'm hurting is me.  She was quite terse and ended the conversation clearly upset, which made me upset because I don't think I'm in the wrong.  Last time I checked, I could stay up all night before an assignment was due and finish it to turn in and still get an 'A'.  In fact, the previous assignment I'd done for her two weeks ago, I finished twenty minutes before I arrived to class and she was none the wiser. 


Anyway, I left class and was so upset that I thought I was going to have a meltdown.  Who handles me at my worst?  Dad, of course.  He was able to defuse the ticking-Heather-bomb thankfully, and change the subject.  He told me he'd received a really nice Christmas present, but that he couldn't say what it was yet.  It is of the personal-yet-business style present, so apparently something with work.  I have no idea.  He also told me that, after 55(maybe 60?) years in the insurance industry, my grandpa is selling his business at the end of the year.  Grandpa is going to hate, hate, HATE true retirement.  He literally will not know what to do with himself and grandma is going to go crazy with him home all the time.  It's hilarious.  I can't wait to go home for Christmas!  (That's not sarcasm.)