I’m in Madison, which is great, by the way, and for a couple nights I’m staying at Hostelling International Madison. Conference hotels are notoriously overpriced and rarely have Internet access. For $25 a night, I share a dorm and bathroom with a bunch of other women, and the “Cafe Costa Rica” out front provides free wi-fi.

This allows me to have a really nice dinner to celebrate being done with 95% of my grades for the summer term (there are a couple of slow testing centers and straggling students who were out of town last week).

Dinner at Tutto Pasta Tratoria Bar and Cafe, which was the best Vodka cream sauce I have ever had in my life – no kidding. Also note the glass of Sangria – I’ve never actually had Sangria, but my dad always used to call me “Maria Sangria Spaghetti Susan Haverhals” when I was little. So I saw it on the menu and said, what the heck … my grades are done and if I’m going to celebrate by myself, I might as well have something to drink!

So, $25 for room & board, $30 for dinner … do I have my priorities right or what?

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