Feathers
I spent the first night using my brand spanking new feather comforter.What does that mean to you? Well, just that I was completely surrounded by feathers.It was fantastic.
The only non-feather item was my pillow. Right now I'm just not ready to give into that yet, I may NEVER get out of bed...
Ok, so I'm leaving in less than 24 hours and, you guessed it, I have still not packed. I have issues. For some reason I like to run around random, at the last minute, preparing for things. I think it stems from school. I would always wait until the last minute to do assignments or write papers, and I typically did really well.
For example let's review a few papers I wrote for classes freshman year.
Example A: I stayed up for an entire night writing the longest paper I'd ever written at that point for my scholars class. It was supposed to be 15 pages but by the end the best I could manage even with the "creative" spacing and font selection, was only 13. So 2 pages shouldn't be that big of a problem right? Except that you have to consider that I was already 5 minutes late to class, sitting in the computer lab across campus in my pj's w/ my pillow...
What to do?
Well, I decided I didn't need to change (my pj's were cute enough to sit in the computer lab, they'd be fine to sit in the lecture hall). And I didn't think my prof would care if I sat on my pillow (thus making it look like I wanted it for comfort, but because I'd been up all night). I literally ran to class, paper in hand, and was walking in the door as they were being collected.
I got the best grade in the class. He made a point, when handing the papers back, to paraphrase it to the entire class. Friends of mine, who'd done theirs weeks prior, failed. I felt bad because I knew all the time they'd put into it.
Example B: Ok, so knowing how I was happy at the good grade, but feeling bad that I didn't put days of work into it (and really not like having to pull the all-nighter) I decided to start a paper the night it was assigned.
It was for English class and only needed to be 7-8 pages (cake since I'd just finished a 13 page one, right?). Well so I did all my research and then did edits and revisions and was finished 2-3 days before it was due. I felt so good about myself.
I got a C. Not an A or even a B, but a C. I was devastated.
You can see how the examples clearly demonstrate the negative reinforcement my past has had on my being "early" or "specifically prepared" for anything. I rest my case.
posted by Ali @ 1:09 PM
2 Comments:
we are the best of friends that have never met. ha. i enjoyed this entry very much.
i have the exact same packing issues and the same school M.O.
and they are probably interrelated in my life as well as cognitively reinforced by teachers & professors alike my whole life.
example:
1. packing: i am supposed to be at my house, with a packed bag, on my steps, ready to be picked up for a weekend at the Jerzy Shore in T-Minus 61 minutes.
issue: I am still sitting at work, with papers and post-its everywhere, a stack of letters at the copy machine and three emails to colleagues half-written. no bag is packed at home. and at some point i need to drive to that home. change. pack. and be ready.
result: not happening.
solution: my issues are well documented and my friends will not actually arrive in 61 minutes to pick me up bc they now i'm a whore and won't be ready. ha.
example:
2. paper-writing: i still live in academic glory in many a mind in washington dc as friends and friends alike witnessed minor miracles in the years of 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. ha. i will only cite three instances.
a. 2000: seminar paper due, 30 pages in length, no less. as of 4 pm the day before it was due i had zero pages. as of dinner time, 3 pages. as of midnight, maybe 10. roommates, upon waking up, did not believe me when i had 35 pages printed out neatly on my desk at dawn. unfortunately i was still late to class as i overslept. but i too received the best grade in the class. ha.
b. 2002, 2003: senior academic thesis for my majors. 60-80 pages in length. both completed both semesters in under 48 hours. psycho. passed with honors.
c. 2003: my parting gift - writing a 25 page paper for a friend for free. ha. i can never become a professor now that i've shot my academic integrity into hell. but it was written in a night and the professor told my friend, "this was not the best paper in the class - rather this was one of the best papers i've ever received all the years i've taught this course!"
haha.
soooo...
rock on sista. glad to know another packer/paperwriter is chillin out there!
as evidenced by my blog and my comments, length is never an issue. ha.
ok.
i've yet to resolve timeliness though. and god. packing. i hate it.
here's me leaving piles of work undone and going home.
have fun on your trip.
peace,
sweet somewhere bound
i have THEE same problem. No worries... I don't think its AS serious as Laura's... because... well I went to high school with her and know how she was about writing papers... But I don't pack until the last minute and NEVER wrote papers until the night before.
Let's hear it for procrastinators!
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