And we are officially in the home-stretch of the first semester, which is both nerve-wracking and a relief to me. Nerve-wracking because I've got to do it all again next semester, but this time for all the marbles, and a relief because sweet JESUS am I tired. But one thing I'm sure about, I'm discovering that when the going gets tough, I actually have the ability to sit down and be self-disciplined. Which is somewhat mind-boggling to me, seeing as I spent most of my undergrad career happily skipping through a field of daisies, playing with kittens, and riding unicorns through the rainbow skies of procrastination, and yet I still somehow pulled magna cum laude out of my magic hat. Except this shit doesn't fly in German grad school--which would be sadder if I hadn't unlocked the bonus level and gained the ability to pull seventeen-hour homework days. I don't know where this motivation reserve has been hiding my entire life, but damn is it useful. Although it is equally possible that the fuel to my fire is in reality just a toxic mixture of anxiety and chocolate milk--looks like motivation, will actually kill you. Whatever man. Don't look gift creatures in the mouth, my mother always said. Actually what she said was, "If you kill a lion, make sure you throw a hat at it," but that's pretty much the same thing.
As most of you have gathered from my Facebook page, Oscar, the Golden Usurper, False King of the West, has committed suicide by leaping from his castle tower. The whole kingdom is in mourning, and the jesters I've surrounded myself with can't stop laughing about it. For the record, THE FIRST FISH GOT SICK, THE SECOND KILLED HIMSELF. I did not have a hand in either of those deaths, so the next person who tells me I should consider a job on a fish-farm will find himself following Oscar to the great toilet bowl in the sky.
I gave my big presentation today--it went just fine, and the discussion it sparked afterwards was also pretty interesting. I've found that people asking me questions in a college setting about the research I've done no longer freaks me, even though I continue to struggle with academic German. Whatevs. One day. Swedish final on Thursday, two more papers to hand in, and then I am done done done. I've elected not to take the Portuguese final, for several reason: 1) it irritates me out of principle that the professor said I can't take the next level class without taking the test, even though I'm not taking the class for credit, 2) I can only take so many "Don't you wish you had a culture?" comments before I want to take my culture and hit somebody with it, and c) the guy teaches Portuguese like foreign languages are taught in Portugal, that is to say, terribly. I can teach me better than he can. And I WILL, goshdarnit.
That's all I've got for today. I'm falling asleep at my computer, which is generally my sign that I need to turn it off. Adios!
1 comment:
I used to live with someone whose fish killed itself. It jumped out of the bowl where it had been put while its tank was cleaned and into the (empty) bathroom sink. Must be a fish thing!
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