Studying @ MindSay

I can't get that stupid test out of my mind, so I'm waking up at random times to study for it, and it's still a week away. Oh well. At least I can get back to sleep around 20 minutes or so of reading.

ALSO

I notice how I can be unintentionally judgmental sometimes about physical attractiveness, or focus on the small things too much. Thank goodness I don't say it out loud, though.

As of this morning, for the first time in my life, I have finished reading the book of Isaiah.

Unfortunately, by some curious little quirk, my Bible-retention abilities only seem to start working after about the third time of reading something.

It came to my attention recently that I'm very poorly acquainted with much of the Old Testament. Now, books of history are good. They're fun, and exciting, and sometimes there's bad stuff happening, but you can still see it all in your mind. Books of the law are really, really boring. I know I should read them and get acquainted with them to further my understanding, but boy - there's a lot of information in there, and much of it is hard to care about. I'm working on it.

Books of prophecy have kind of a goofy effect. I'm pretty well-acquainted with the New Testament, so I can now and again recognize something as, "Hey! I know when that happens! Cool!" But there's also a lot about how this kingdom will fall, and that king will be smited, and I really don't know the history as well as I should (and I also suspect that much of it isn't covered in the Bible - it is Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth, after all). So, reading about things that are going to happen, but I don't know if they've already happened, or they're going to happen, etc.

Remember the Ethiopian in the chariot, reading about the prophecies of Christ, and how he didn't understand and asked for an explanation? I'm baffled on understanding everything that DOESN'T relate to Christ. I suspect that I should locate some sort of related reading material to lend some context. Which would be fun - as long as I'm not going to be quizzed on dates later, I rather enjoy history.

So, gradually overcoming the hold of intimidation that I have regarding the Old Testament. A few years previous, we had, "It's big, it's scary, and it's boring." I still have a lot to read, and perhaps starting with the second-largest book was not the best plan, but hey, we're making progress.

            I'm getting too old for this…stuff.  Sunday night, I did what I swore I'd never do again, and that's pull an all-nighter.  I had to write a 500 to 750-word book review.  No big deal.  I knocked that out in about 45 minutes.  The kicker was not starting to read the 250-page book till 5 p.m. on the evening before it was due.

            Why did I wait till the last minute?  I'll admit I'm a procrastinator, but there's also that pesky thing called life that keeps getting in the way.  I like to spend time with my wife.  I like to play with my dog, visit my parents, and watch Curb Your Enthusiasm with my best friend.  I act in plays and write columns for two different newspapers.  And then there are the everyday things that have to be done while the wife is working to put me through college such as cooking, cleaning, and going to the market.  Add to that commuting fifty miles and spending half the day in class three days a week, and then having to read volumes for each class.  It can wear a body down quickly.

            I'm thirteen years older than the majority of my classmates.  That might not sound like much, but wait till you get there.  It's an effort for me to stay up past midnight anymore, no matter what time I got up.  After a while, something has to go on the back burner, and for me it was my book review.  I'm certainly not advocating neglecting one's studies, but it was the choice I made.

            When I attended ECU eleven years ago, I could start writing a major paper the night before it was due, knock off around 4 a.m., get four hours of sleep, and go to school the next day, and it wouldn't even faze me.  My eyelids wouldn't droop once, and I'd at least get a B on the paper.

            Monday, I felt like I was in Neverland (Peter Pan's version, not Michael Jackson's), and all my professors probably thought I was coming off a three-day drunk.  I'll probably be lucky to get a Q on the book review, much less an F.

            I think young college students get a bad rap.  People older than I think they're lazy, and that they spend too much time partying and not enough time studying.  Hey, if you can have any kind of life and then stay up all night reading a book and/or writing a paper, and still be able to function the next day and make a passing grade, then my hat's off to you because I just can't do it anymore.

 

© 2007 by J.D. Lewis

This will probably be a lame blog post, but I really don't care.

Mythology test tomorrow and I should be studying. Should be is the keyword here...I've been listening to music and goofing around with the "Stumble Button" for like an hour now. That thing is addictive! It's reaching into parts of the internet I never knew existed....

[/lamepost]

:D

Life got real [/lame] real [/fast] lately....

Pretty much in the groove of college life: studying, partying, studying, partying.....crashing. It's become a daily thing now. It's good and yet it's probably too much of a good thing. I would like to take the time one day and just sit by the lake or under a tree and do absolutely nothing. That would be a great day indeed....Away from all the mindless masses, the pervasive media, and the rat maze that is life. Also I found another quote that made my day: "You go to heaven for the climate, to hell for the company."---Mark Twain.

Ah, everything Mark Twain says is literary gold....I fucking love it.