How to Write an Essay 101.

1.) Do the readings.
2.) Attend class.
3.) Take thorough notes.

4.) Form a thesis statement.
5.) Select quotations.


6.) Copy class notes (in your own words) as an introduction to your idea(s).
7.) Explicate the shit out of quotation(s).
8.) Use definitions of words (directly from the dictionary) to prove your point.

9.) When feasible, use sections of old papers you have already written. (you can't plagiarize yourself)
10.) Say the same thing over again (in different words, of course) at least three times.
11.) Conclude by repeating thesis statement.
12.) Submit no more than 15 minutes before required hand-in time.

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Ok, so let's get this straight. I have become the epitome of a super-senior. Not only was my goal for next semester to find the easiest professors as well as classes with the least amount of work, my goal is still persistently sitting on the edge of... failure? (I'm becoming a typical AP student, where as-in the definition of failure is a B, or maybe even a B+)

Here I am, Sunday evening starting a Word document of my final essay for the semester. The measily 3-4 page assignment isn't even difficult, for heaven's sakes I get to write about horses and poetry... like, hello not difficult at all. But alas, somewhere along the events of the last 3 weeks of hell I lost every shred of motivation, I don't even have enough to propel me through the 1.5 single spaced essay.

Everything BUT said essay is appealing, laundry, dishes, vacuuming, painting my toe nails, packing, dusting, scrubbing the bathroom sink, even cooking would be more appealing.

Chaos ensues. This sucker has to be handed in at 8am tomorrow.

I'm not surprised.

Dear Students:

Thank you for submitting your final research design papers on time. It was a pleasure to read them., and you may wish to pick them up during office hours in January (most likely Mondays, 3:15 - 4:45 pm). I have already graded everything and released the grades. They should be available shortly. Furthermore, the final set of presentation slides is available online.

Undoubtedly, this was a challenging course. The central message was to learn that not all published research is perfect, some of it merits criticism from a methodological perspective, and, finally, good research itself is quite difficult to undertake once methodological considerations are taken into account. You certainly now know a lot on how to approach received scholarship as well as the research process itself. Between the lines I suspect that such courses are a rare component in your undergraduate education. It was nice to see you "grow" during the fall term. Perhaps you have learned something for life. Then it was all worth it, for you and for me.

Best wishes for the holiday season,
DS



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It's actually quite endearing. I rocked outta the course with an A-... and I didn't have to write any 25-50 page essays. But, as I said before, as much as this class was a pain in my arse I did learn a lot and that certainly means something.

DS wins the award for having final grades posted the fasted. (t-6 days.) Go Germany!

A+

I constantly live in a love-hate relationship with French.

I love being able to (kinda) speak and understand another language, but I hate when I get D+'s on my exams. My relationship with the French language has always existed in this type of manner.

That's why today when he made us come up for the results of the placement test I was dumbfounded when he said..
"LG, LG.... A plus." I don't understand those words in French, "....quoi? Moi?" A+ didn't exist in my French vocabulary until today.


In other news, I have been summoned for jury duty. a;slknvewl;kfnjaorijno;ijo. They cannot force me to skip school, I'm paying good money to be in academia! I would not like to exchange that for sitting in a courtroom getting paid $12.50 per half day... I can't afford to miss a/several days if I intend to travel during the semester.

Seriously, sometimes this is a cruel, cruel world.

Surfacing.

The funny thing is that I'm getting used to not sleeping. I remember what seems like ages ago JR giving me AP advice and having her tell me, "sometimes, you just don't sleep." Not because you're not tired but because excess of work prevents you from doing so. I always think of that as a sense of comfort as I'm up at 3am pitter-patterning around the house.

I don't sense too many more sleepless nights (that is, of course, unless I receive phone calls at 3am, *ah hem*). 3 classes down, 2 to go and then one more semester until I'm done with my undergraduate academic career. Um, scary.

Today as I was biking to school it seemed quite appropriate that the 8:30am train was departing just as I passed over the bridge. These moments seem to mimick my life, another departure, another arrival, another journey.

But in more relevant news, I rocked my political theory exam this morning. I very intelligently discussed Epicurus, Aristotle, Cicero, and Machiavelli. I devoted quite a bit of time to reading for that class but never quite made it through all the Machiavelli. I've got the idea in my head that I would like to finish reading Machiavelli over break. Schweird, I know.

So I suppose not much stands between me, semester closure, and mm Mexico.

as he would say...

"I considered the possibilities... there's a reason why your essay is not due Saturday or Sunday. If your paper is due Friday at midnight you still have time to party.

You can't work 24 hours a day, you have to party sometimes, it's good for your mind... in moderation, of course."


He would also say in regards to the participation grade, "it's not quantity of participation... it's quality."

Also, "I did not want to tell you this at the beginning... but this is essentially a Masters level class. Congratulations on completing your first pseudo-Masters course."


I can't deny that this class was a pain in my arse, but today when we said our farewells, I had the vague sense that I was choking back tears.

I think I seriously belong in academia. Like, for my whole life.

what day is it?

I haven't truly slept in an unknown number of days that I've lost track of what day it is.

It's kinda like being drunk except 1) you don't so much feel like spewing and 2) you shake much more.

Actually, last night I slept for 12 hours but I think it just messed me up more. I was shaking this morning but am no longer.

AP status exists as I am officially finished with one course and after tomorrow midnight (or whenever I submit my final essay) I will be finished with Stats. Oh joy!

Let's count 2 of 5 finished.

mistake of the week.

I don't really feel like I have any space to make mistakes this week. Unfortunately, last night, in an apparent stroke of brilliance, I drank 3 cups of coffee. At 8pm. It seemed smart at the time, I have this term paper that has been looming for months now (the last 1 of 3 assignments for Cultures of Mod) and I figured I would drink a bunch of coffee and stay up and write it.

The unfortunate fact in this act is that I failed to remember that coffee (like alcohol) hits me like Michigan weather when I walk out of the house: it's not pleasant. By 10pm I was doing swell, feeling the jitters but still ready to sit down at my desk and pound away at the keyboard.

Midnight rolled around and I could not foresee any stopping. My eyes strained but I was certainly fully awake. But, there was a problem. My hype was to the extent in which I couldn't slow down to read coherently. (we're not talking reading The DaVinci Code, we're talking reading literary theory such as Foucault and the likes)

How could I counteract it? Bread? Water? This is not Bacardi O. Could I throw it up? Nope. Probably already absorbed. Heart pounding. Next route, actually write the paper. Two paragraphs and an hour of reading later, the result of my work (which I regarded with a certain amount of confused realization this morning) was hitting the delete button.

The result is that this morning I'm not even at square one yet. This afternoon I have a meeting with my professor to discuss the paper (which is due tomorrow, by the way) and no work to account for. The unfortunate thing is that this paper is the defining factor for whether I'm in the A-realm or B-realm.

Plan 2? No more coffee and no more sleep tonight. (skipping classes tomorrow isn't an option, it's too close to the end)

Ohhh AP.

the prince.

[away message] machiavelli.

Jin: machiavelli is a douche.
LG: i like machiavelli.
LG: i think i was married to him in a past life
LG: dude, what's the deal with him?
LG: i've never read any of his stuff before
Jin: he, is like, being snarky.
Jin: he is pissed at the government / wants a job with them, so he is acting like an expert in what they do while at the same time dissing them by implying they act with no morals in what they do
Jin: when you were married to him, was he hot, at least?
LG: yeah he was fuckin' hot
Jin: well that's good
LG: hehe
LG: jin is like... one more reason why i think LG is crazy
Jin: hey, at least he was hot.


And so another week of AP hell ensues (with a little bit of humor, at least).

kids.

I've had an extreme amount of child-contact in the last two days. Sometimes being around kids reminds me of days passed, playing on Tour Island, sledding down Bill Shawkin's hill in the winter (trying to make it all the way to the creek, the initial moments of fear before going down Dead Man's Hill), playing with my plastic horses... well, sometimes I forget that these kids exist in a completely new generation.


Les Trois Garçons.
1.) I spent a major part of the evening trying to drag the boys away from x-box, the television, and Webkins (whatever the fuck that webpage is).

2.) The Eldest and I spent a somewhat forced 25 minutes reading. Well, it was more along the lines of me listening to him read. It was an especially odd contrast as he read "Where the Red Fern Grows" (I've never read it, but had picked it up several weeks earlier at their house and read maybe the first chapter) where the time period is totally old school.

3.) No matter what time kids go to bed, they still get up early.

4.) We spent at least 20 minutes looking for a lost iPod. The conversation was something like this:
A: The cleaning lady does not clean, she HIDES.
Me: Well, at least you have a cleaning lady.
A: This is like my 3rd iPod.
Me: Hmm, tragic.

5.) Brenbren is scared to see me in a bikini in Mexico. I told him I already have a boyfriend so he'd better not pull his smooth moves on me.

6.) I asked The Eldest if he thought I should be more of a girly-girl, his response was no; that boys don't like girly-girls. This is also coming from a 5th grader, so rule of balance.

7.) I will never own a dog. Although, I am willing to compromise... if I get a Dutch Warmblood he can have a dog or a cat or whatever else (within reason).

8.) No, I do not want to ride a motor bike to school.

9.) My car sounds like a race-car. (I do not, in any way, deny this fact.) I should have someone fix it, for $2k. I had to laugh because it wouldn't cost nearly that much. I told them that's what they could get me for Christmas, some better quality muffler metal and piping.

10.) We don't need no education.

Les Trois Filles.
1.) Inherently from a young age girls know how to talk, a lot.

2.) Never underestimate the sheer empowerment from a vibrant pink room. I think I'm still recovering.

3.) Makeup.

4.) Me putting makeup on.

5.) Fake earings... or well, fake nose rings.

6.) "Chocolate makes my life happier" (and she's 6 years old?! Smart girl.)

7.) The splits. Ouch. Those days are hard to recall.

Les Deux Chevaux.
1.) The LRO is totally jealous of the La.

2.) I have serious concerns about the LRO's righthind. Maybe I'm just too overprotective.

3.) How can you sell your babies?