It's amazing how much being tired affects my ability to think, and how much my ability to think touches on every other part of me. The entire world is skewed darker when I am exhausted. It is easy to forget what an incredible day this has been. Omnia gloria soli Deo.

I overslept this morning, the day of my GRE, and woke up at 7:09 instead of 6:30. Thus, I lost my quiet time. It felt like a disaster, on this day of all days, when I felt utterly incompetent to get through. This morning I needed to proofread four students' papers for class and clean for the afternoon's white-glove dorm room inspection - in an hour. It was impossible. I almost skipped chapel so that I would have an extra hour. Thank God, I didn't. It was just what I needed.

I picked up my room and desk in half an hour and then proofed the two papers for the first class. I went to the first class. Then I decided, dash it all, I'll go to chapel anyway. It let out a few minutes early. I had fifteen minutes to proof the other two papers for the next class. After it was over, I skipped lunch and spent another half an hour scrubbing parts of my room that needed it. Then I quickly endorsed two checks I had been saving, because I needed cash in order to use the toll road. I didn't have enough time to take the other road.

In my car, I noticed I only had 1/5 of a tank of gas. I intended to fill it up before I tried the hour-long drive to the testing center, but the man at the bank wanted to talk. By the time I had my cash, I didn't have time to get gas. I figured I would just drive and trust that I had enough. Of course, I wasn't at all sure I would end up in the right place, since I had never spent much time driving in Fairfax. So there I was, heading out for an hour-long drive to an unknown location with 1/5 a tank of gas. Once there, if I arrived, I was planning to take a two-and-a-half-hour test in the middle of an involuntary fast. If ever I've been empty and incapable on every front, it was then.

To make a long story short, I arrived at the testing center with five minutes to spare for my 2:30 appointment. With my head absolutely empty and confused, I wallowed through the test. I can't remember the last time I felt that tired; I truly thought I might faint. When I was done and the computer showed me the scores on my multiple choice sections, I was seriously expecting numbers in the 600s (with a maximum possible of 800). Instead, I saw "Verbal: 800. Quantitative: 790." Whoa!

When I staggered out and fed Thing at the gas station, I discovered that he had only half a gallon of gas left in his tank.

Now, after a three-hour play rehearsal, I have a paper to write. I think I'm going to bed. Tomorrow is another day.  ¶ 7:57 PM