jeudi 17 mai 2007
Sleepyhead
I've been feeling extremely lethargic as of late, both in an attempt to "catch up" on as much rest as I can from this past semester (even though that's technically not possible) and to avoid thinking of all of the things I have yet to do. Very counterproductive, I know. I might as well just tackle my projects rather than continuing to delay them. I remember reading a fun quote from a blog about four years back that said something along the lines of "oversleeping won't make your daydreams come true" and I admit I've fallen into that lately. I keep daydreaming that all of my papers are done and I can just relax, only to find myself waking up a few hours later than I intended. Well, I suppose that is one way of relaxing, at the cost of actual productivity :) Since I already have a running trend of mundane homework updates on here, I'll just quickly list what things I have left before the end of the month: book responses, 500 pages of reading, annotated bibliography, research paper and a final exam. No wonder packing, shopping and sleeping all look so appealing!
Libellés : homework
lundi 2 avril 2007
Summary of my life
Today's quote of the day seems timely:
"I am returning this otherwise good typing paper to you because someone has printed gibberish all over it and put your name at the top." - An English Professor, Ohio University
I counted everything that I have left for this semester and it comes out to 10 papers and 30 online posts/responses within the next 14 days. There's not much else I can say after looking at those horrifying numbers. Until I make it to the other side by God's grace, farewell.
Libellés : homework
samedi 2 décembre 2006
A final sprint
It's already December! I keep telling myself at this point that if I can finish all of my assignments for the next two weeks that I will be a quarter through my program! It's a motivating thought but the task is still daunting. Continuing in my usual habit of posting homework lists, here is what I'm facing right now:
- Theology research paper
- Commentary reading report
- Exegetical research paper (This is the one I am most stressed about! I'll be writing on a topic that my professor did his dissertation on - gahh!)
- "Interactive" book report
- Course summary paper
- Habit formation evaluation
- Grading defense
Oh my, seeing it all laid out like that makes me realize I can't afford to procrastinate much longer! I've been pretty preoccupied with getting as much done early as I can so that my semester can end sooner but admittedly, efforts have been falling short. It's going to be a fun week coming up though - I'll be attending an engagement party and possibly a Christmas banquet. I'm just so excited that I have about five days of classes left and then I'm free!
I'm getting there! I've noticed that every time I update even the smallest thing that my site feed actually records it... that hasn't happened before, hmm.
Libellés : homework
mercredi 26 juillet 2006
Crunching numbers
3 charts, 3 arguments, 1 research paper, and 1 final exam.
I am giving myself 20 days to do all this.
So this will be a fun challenge! Lord, please allow me to survive this. A thought that runs through my head is, "And I've just signed myself up for two more years of this?!" I often feel like a terrible student but at this point, it's all that I know :)
Libellés : homework
dimanche 23 juillet 2006
In isolation
I have been largely unavailable to the world for the last few weeks - which is good and bad. But thanks to Mara for her comment (so, what are you doing now? what's the paper for? what's the big plan for your life? etc.), I'll be more than happy to reply while I have this bit of time.
My here and now is Calgary. I haven't had a chance to write a prayer letter in a while so it's funny when I run into people at church or elsewhere and they go, "Oh! You're back. I thought you were still in Quebec!" I even had a friend email me and say they were heading out east and that they'd love to meet me over there. Whoops, I suppose my communication skills have been faltering since I've gotten back.
The city is great; it's nice to be home. Except that my every hour is consumed with none other than homework. The big paper that I had to write was my ethnography and I find it funny that I'm in the only major at my college where it is required that two large papers are written. At first, I thought my thesis was the longest paper I had ever written in my life but this one surpassed it by another 25 pages. I shouldn't complain though - writing both of those papers have taught me tons and it's been awesome to integrate what I've learned from many of my classes.
And yet, I still have a huge cloud looming over me. I have a distance ed course that I need to finish within a few weeks. Because of complications with my degree program and my school's scheduling of classes, I was required to take this one course from another institution. Well, let's just say I could never do an entire program via DE. One course has been a nightmare enough for me - I've travelled back and forth so many times this year that I haven't given it the attention it deserves.
I'm going to be spending every waking hour (again) slaving over my assignments for this class so I can finally get my degree, otherwise I won't receive advanced standing at graduate school. That is my primary concern right now, because I don't want to lose an entire semester (and the finances for it) taking introductory courses. So, it's been stressful but I trust that God will help me to accomplish what needs to get done.
The bad part about this homework seclusion has been that I've not kept in contact with anyone. I was supposed to meet several people when I came back but I'm putting all that off until late August. I didn't think anything was wrong with this but today at church, the sermon was about how Jesus viewed people. Our pastor referred to the gospel narratives where Jesus and His disciples would be travelling somewhere and along the way, people would ask for healing and salvation. These people could have been seen as distractions and interruptions but Jesus stopped to make the time for them and to truly care for these people.
Well this past month, that has been how I've viewed people in general. Distractions that I didn't need, meetings that got in the way of my homework. How selfish of me! This homework problem was my fault in the first place; other people had nothing to do with it. I had no idea I was becoming so task-oriented and not in a healthy way. But I'm thankful that I've seen how much of a sin that has been; now I need to ask forgiveness from a lot of the people I've not responded to! I'm going to push on in my course work but I'll do my best to be a lot more open to God's timing rather than fiercely holding onto my own.
And for the big life plan? I have absolutely no idea. After seminary, it's one huge question mark. I'm hoping this question mark somehow includes Montreal :)
mardi 18 juillet 2006
Take a stand
Over the past week, I have been slaving away over a paper that pretty much counts entirely for a course, along with the raw notes and data cards that are supposed to help me write the paper. I just finished the introduction yesterday (after a week!) and am finally getting into the thesis. I'm excited to finish this assignment and to send it off so that I can get back to completing my other course. I'm on a really tight schedule to finish each task but this one has been dragging on for so long now and I'm getting behind.
I guess the greatest difficulty for me is that I need to spend almost all of my waking time typing on the computer. I hate this because a) all I do is sit and b) I can't be active at the same time I'm writing. My legs hurt and I feel so sloth-like. It's definitely contributing to my out-of-shapeness. I take occasional breaks but I had no idea that sitting down at a desk every single day could take such a toll on the body. I used to think I could handle this (being an administrative assistant however requires a bit of movement which I appreciate) but I'm slowly changing my mind. Oh to be out of my chair!
mardi 4 avril 2006
Ongoing swamp
I wish I wasn't such a night owl; it's wreaking havoc on all the things that I need to do here before I leave. I can't believe that I'll be home in two weeks!
This is what April will look for me:
From now until I leave - finish as much distance ed (DE) as I possibly can and work on my ethnography
After I get back - finally edit my thesis paper, have two days of class
Graduation day - the only break I will get!
After the ceremony and banquet - write my ethnography paper
Fly back to Montreal - bring the DE work with me that I didn't complete
Summer - phew, I don't know! I hope I get to relax after all that!
dimanche 13 novembre 2005
Finishing up
My college has just announced a tuition freeze for next year which is great, but I'll have graduated by then. I firmly believe that good school-related things almost always come when I am no longer around to enjoy them :)
So now that I think about it - just two months until I leave for Montreal! This means I have the following to complete before I go:
1. Thesis paper, once and for all
2. Practicum, which ends in just a few weeks
3. One modular course
4. A distance ed course I haven't touched since September
5. Workshop paper, stemming from January 2005
That should be about it, not to mention all the other non-academic things I need to start. I have until mid-December to do all this, so I pretty much know what I will be doing from now until then! This may help explain the sparseness already found on here, but I'm sure my fellow classmates will have more than enough on their blogs to provide hours (minutes?) of fun reading.
Side note: I feel so disconnected from people at school. I know it's because none of my classes are on-campus but it's such a strange feeling that I see work people more than school people. Actually, I see work people even more than my own family! Something needs to change here....
Libellés : homework
mardi 11 mai 2004
Quick synopsis
I'll be pretty busy these next few weeks finishing up my spring course and a directed study course, as well as maybe getting a job. I love to do lists, so I hope I get to cross these out as soon as possible:
- English lit course
- Spring course work
- School yearbook
- Job stuff
That should be it. I hope my sanity stays intact :)
(Oh yeah, I have both Blogger comments and Haloscan comments going to see which one I like better. I'll get rid of one of them sometime soon.)
Libellés : homework
jeudi 15 avril 2004
All-nighters
I dread the sound of that word. But tomorrow's the last day of classes before the semester ends and next week is finals week. I pulled an all-nighter with one of my friends last night. It's a miracle I was able to make it to school and home safely. I actually went to chapel today too! Anyways, I finally had a long nap after twenty-five hours of no sleep, and now I'm back at it to pull another one tonight.
To do list for this evening/morning:
- Two One quizzes and reading
- One personal response
- One annotated bibliography
- Two One literature reviews
- One final exam
I will have no life for the next ten hours. And there you have it, a glimpse into the (lack of) life of a college student.
Libellés : homework
mercredi 1 octobre 2003
Too much stuff!
- Two papers due tomorrow
- Lots and lots of editing
- So incredibly tired
- Call life group
- Meeting with pastor tomorrow
- SUExec meeting
- Membership application
- Reading quiz
- Chiropractor appointment
- PowerPoint chaos
- Video critique
- Church sleepover
- All of this for the next two days?! I think I need a nap... so long!
Libellés : homework
