List Mania

So at the start of a new semester, I always find myself making lists. Most of them are to-do lists: what do I need to do to get ready for classes, what do I need to do for each class, what do I need to do with respect to fellowship applications and, of course, what else do I need to do that's somehow incredibly important but doesn't fall on those other lists.

Then there's the occasional update to one of my Top Ten Lists. My newest addition squeaked in at #10 on my list of

Top Ten Things My Life Would Have Been Complete Without

#10. Attempting to accelerate up to the speed limit on an interstate in a car whose transmission was "slipping" (AKA it wouldn't shift gears).

#9. Under-rotating a front tuck off the high beam.

#8. Flying a plane with the door open.

#7. Skiing. Or perhaps, more specifically, falling while skiing.

#6. Having a tree (or part thereof) fall upon any structure in which I am currently residing, especially when I am in charge of Girl Scouts also residing in that structure.

#5. Hydroplaning, skidding on ice, or any other vehicular loss of control (especially in a bus). Bonus points if the brakes give out while you're at it.

#4. Shattering glass all over myself.

#3. Having a trailer come unhitched from the back of the SUV at 65mph in rush hour traffic out of Norfolk (note: said trailer was still chained to the back of the SUV).

#2. Grading midterms at a funeral and final papers in an ICU waiting room, all in the same semester. And throw in studying for comprehensive exams, just in case that's not enough.

#1. Having an asthma attack, especially those that result in visits to my friends at the ER.