This is a little peek inside my mind as I work on a paper. A paper due tomorrow. A paper I started writing at 11:55 pm. Welcome to theworld of a real life college student.
12:23 YAY! I wrote a paragraph!
12:23 YAY! I have pickles!
12:25 I’m going to make this super-opinionated to cover up for the fact that I have no idea what I’m talking about! BRILLIANT IDEA!
12:26 Wow. I just used the name of the course in my paper. That is not a good sign.
12:27 Huh, I’m punchy. It’s probably a good thing I didn’t have a beer.
12:30 It was probably not such a good idea to eat so many pickles. I feel ill.
12:35 There, I wrote an introduction. Wait, the second half of that introduction is my conclusion. [Pause] *whines* “Do I really have to write the middle?”
12:36 Okay, I’ll write the middle. But I’m peeing first dammit!
12:40 Peeing and making hot chocolate, apparently.
12:42 I should really blog this.
12:50 I whine to a friend, “Why do we have to back up our arguments with evidence anyway? THE SYSTEM IS FLAWED!”
12:51 He says, “Because your teacher needs to know you read the assignments. It’s an ego thing.”
12:51 “But I didn’t read the assignments. Hence the flaw.”
12:56 I like Enya.
1:01 I think I cut my toenails too short.
1:27 Shit. I’ve been working on another project for the past fifteen minutes! How did that happen?
1:37 I am still on page 2. Popcorn? No, chocolate. No popcorn. Chocolate. Chocolate.
1:45 This is only getting worse.
2:45 That’s it. I’m quitting school and running away to join the circus.
2:54 Time for popcorn. My roommates will just love me for this. Waking up to popcorn popping at 3 am. Oy.
2:58 I always knew I would someday encounter a paper I just couldn’t write. I’ve come close before, but always pulled it off at the last minute. But I think I may have finally found it. The One. I thougt I’d be done by 4 am. I’m only 1/3 done. And it’s crap.
3:05 I’d rather be writing my thesis.
3:34 Um. Maybe I should just take the MTEL and give up all aspirations of a PhD right now.
3:47 Okay. So you’ve passed the halfway mark. Good. But you’re out of material? Shit. Maybe I should floss my teeth.
4:16 Yep. Circus it is. Get me some hair extentions, I’ll be the bearded lady.
4:23 The sugar and caffeine just left my body. Like water going down a drain. Suddenly, this isn’t so funny anymore. I’m tired.
4:24 The New York Times just emailed me tomorrow’s headlines. That’s …. oy.
I gave up and went to sleep at 4:45. I woke up at 8, went to class, and finished both the paper and a big sandwich by 11:30.
I would like to go to sleep now.
And in case anyone’s interested, the topic of my paper was, “Does the Web increase the potential for ethical and/or legal quagmires in journalism?”
The answer: Probably, but I do know without a doubt that the Web most definitely increases the potential for procrastination and emotional quagmires in journalism students.
