"Now I don't want to get off on a rant here, but...." -Dennis Miller
Like everybody, there are quite a few things in this world which just annoy the hell out of me. I try not to voice these opinions for various reasons. I never want to hurt anyone's feelings, I appear bitter when I do, etc. Unfortunately, unless I voice my frustrations, they don't go away. The solution I've come up with, is this Rant & Roar section of my website. Every so often, I plan to vent my frustration, go on a rant and just plain roar about a certain topic that annoys me. I mean absolutely no offense to anyone in particular. This section is not an excuse for me to attack anyone. It's just me letting off some steam.
You can also check out my previous rants.
Yup, it's that time of year again. As I watch flakes of snow slowly drift towards the ground carried on wisps of air like small chariots, my thoughts turn to the beautiful coloured lights which are being strung up on trees everywhere to celebrate the coming holiday. Soon, the lights will reflect off a blanket of whiteness which will make the night seem bright and alive. The thought of children playing in snow and having fun floats into my mind. I sigh deeply and a smile creeps into my lips. Then, I remember that I have a 10 page term paper I haven't started yet due in a week, an in class Radio News exam which I haven't even begun studying for, a Reporting Methods assignment which needs doing and another philosophy paper which needs editing. All this before finals start. That's when I remember why I hate this time of year so much. That's right, it's Crunch Time again. It's the time of year when you realize that there is only about 2 weeks left until the end of the semester and pretty much every single term paper, assignment, oral presentation and in class test you're not ready for is due.
This time of year always causes my stress level to go through the roof. Actually stopping to think about all the work that needs doing is enough to cause a person's brain to collapse in on itself like a dying star. There are very few ways of getting through this stressful time with both health and shreds of sanity intact. The first method is pure and simple denial. Just ignore the workload. If you don't think about it, then it doesn't exist. This method of dealing is nice because it doesn't involve doing any actual work. The downside is that you'll fail whatever it is you're stressing out over and that's not really what you're trying to accomplish.
The second method is the one I use. This involves thinking in very small terms. You deal with the assignment that's due the soonest. Once that's done, you move on to the next. This way, you slowly get all your assignments done without realizing just how close you're coming to complete and total failure. For this to work, you have to never actually think about how much work you have and when it's due for. If you do, you'll immediately start screaming and hitting yourself in the head while running around in circles uncontrollably. I'm not quite sure WHY this happens, but I do know that it's not a pleasant experience.
The third method involves going insane. You just snap due to the enormous workload. True, this method doesn't actually let you get through the semester with both health AND shreds of sanity intact, but you do get 1 out of 2, which isn't terrible. You start out sane enough. You're working on your term paper when you suddenly remember that you still have a second term paper which also needs writing. Then, your eye twitches slightly and something in your mind just cracks under the pressure. Usually, some sort of killing spree involving doorknobs follows. It's not a pretty sight.
This time of year is hard for everyone. Just hang in there though! We just need to hold out for a little bit longer and then it'll be over. We can breath a sigh of relief, even if it is only for a brief time. I know it's hard, but I'm confident we can get through it..
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