I finally wrapped up the the women's literature class yesterday that I was taking at University of Maryland. I was scheduled for my final yesterday at Maryland's Cole Field House. I'd never taken any of my finals there and it ended up being an interesting experience compounded by the fact I ended up being late for the final. The final was open book and I decided to print all six modules we'd used in the course. This ended up taking longer then I expected. To compound my tardiness, I didn't take into account how long it would take me to clean off all the ice and snow on my car from Friday's morning snowfall. I finally pulled into the parking lot at Maryland at 9:02. My final started at 9:00. I prayed the folks there would cut me some slack. To my relief, I found out I wasn't the only one that was late. It turned out I lost 15 minutes out of the 3 hours given for my final due to my tardiness which I didn't consider any big shakes. It was interesting to see how they set things up. Those who had open book tests got to go down to the playing court and sit at tables. Those who had closed book tests got to sit in the stadium seats to take their tests.

Of the modules that I thought I might need so badly they caused me to be late, one of the modules I printed did turn out to be invaluable for one of the essay questions Professor Beaudry asked. Of the final itself, we had to write 3 essay answers of at least 600 words to three different questions concerning material we'd covered. I won'te say what the questions were in the one in a zillion chance that one of my classmates who hasn't taken the final might actually read this post. In regards to how I did on the final, I managed to knock two answers of 600 words and gave something of a decent answer for the third. Overall, I thought I did all right on the final. With that and the fact I actually turned in all 3 papers this time (though I can't brag too loudly on that as I only managed to do that because of Professor Beaudry's great kindness as far as timeliness), I should pass the class. I happily sold my textbooks back to Maryland after I was done. Concerning English 354, I'm mixed about it. I can't say I liked all the material or some of the stuff we had to study. I will say the Professor Amy Beaudry is a great teacher. She is kind, cares about her students, and genuinely works to make her class really nice. I would strongly recommend this lady for any English classes you have at Maryland. I hope I have her as one of my instructors again.

After the final, I walked over to the University book store so I could make sure I have the required texts for my spring semester class (English 433 - American Literature 1914 to the Present). To my relief, I have all the needed texts. I didn't want to have to buy any more of them considering what they can cost. The cost of textbooks can be insane.

On the way back to my car, I got to see a beautiful set of statues you may not be aware of on the College Park campus. I don't know for sure but I guess Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets, attended the University of Maryland. In a memorial to the man, there is a bench by the Adelphi student center with two statues. One is a life size statue of Jim Henson and the other is of Kermit the frog. The statues are positions so it appears they are talking to each other. It's a very beautiful memorial to Henson and if you're ever on the College Park campus, I'd recommend you see it.