The "storm before the calm"

This final week of the semester promises to be a very busy one, with exams to grade, grades to compute and post, exams to make and give, thesis students to talk to plus a host of paperwork and other things related to my humble but indispensable administrative position here in our department. I can't wait to get all that over and done with and enjoy a short vacation--before it starts all over again once the summer term begins.