Grading Papers: An Early Morning Aria

I am in the dying throes of the paper grading process for the quarter, down to the last few that I've hoarded as rewards for getting through the rest. Oh, and one that came in late. This batch was rather good, I must say, which made the whole process that much more enjoyable. But still there were the papers that made me rub my temples in that sort of futile gesture of, well, futility.

Really, I have nothing particularly interesting or witty to say about the whole thing, just that paper grading makes me grumpy. Which, of course, makes me no different than the rest of the grading folk out there.

Oh, there is one very nice reward for finishing these papers: I will officially be on a leave of absence once I do. I feel about 20 pounds lighter, my spine is straighter, and I'm reading a novel (Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides) purely for entertainment. That, my friends, is entirely worth the wait.