It seems so early to be doing this already, but today I registered for my spring semester classes. I feel like a jerk, but unlike my fellow freshman, I got every single class I wanted (with the small exception of ART 131 Elementary Drawing, but I had written off any hope of getting that class a week ago). For those of you who don’t know, I am an English (Creative Writing)/Political Science major. Or I plan to be, at least. As a freshman, I am not required to declare a major yet, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be majoring in one of those two areas. I haven’t decided which yet. I could double major—that would only be an extra class (five a semester, instead of four). Or I could major in one and minor in the other. It’s such a tough decision, but I have time to consider my options. Anyway, here’s my course load for the second semester:

• ART 221 Visual Cultures of the Mediterranean: An art history course that looks like it could be interesting. Besides, I wanted ART 131 but didn’t manage to get it this time around.
• ENGL 106 Literature and Creative Writing: A creative writing course that happens to be a prerequisite for further creative writing courses.
• PHIL 103 Logic: So I can argue a lot better than I do now. This course is supposed to be a lot of fun, and Professor Fleming is supposedly a great professor.
• POLS 210 Political Theory: One of the four required core courses for the Political Science major. It looks like it could be a lot of fun.

I’m pretty excited about my schedule—and not only because I’ll have just an hour of class on Mondays. I think the classes themselves will be more interesting than the ones I am taking now, although I really do enjoy the courses I have this semester.

I’ve had a ton of work to do the past week or so—hence why my postings have been less frequent than they used to be. Here’s a small sampling of the work I must complete:

1. A presentation for my Foundation seminar. I have to do an oral presentation on chapter seven of Rapunzel’s Daughters, a book about women’s hairstyles and their cultural impact.
2. Japanese literature paper. I have a ten-page paper about some aspect of modern Japanese literature due next Tuesday. I know I’m going to write something about World War II literature, but I have no details as of now. I should get on top of that.
3. Foundation seminar paper. I have a rough draft for another paper due the Monday I get back from break (November 29). I really need to start doing research on that. I had planned on doing it over Thanksgiving, but the Bucknell library is closed from 7:00 PM Tuesday to 12:00 PM Sunday. I’ll have to finish my research by Tuesday and then write the paper over break.
4. Psychology paper. I have another paper, a major research paper, due in Psych 100 on November 30. I had planned on doing research for this paper over break, too, but it looks like I will have to have the bulk of my research finished by Tuesday.
5. Psychology test subject. I have to complete four hours as a test subject for upper-level Psych students’ experiments. I haven’t been able to in a while because I haven’t met the criteria for a test subject, and my experiment tomorrow was cancelled. I have half an hour in so far. I only lose five points if I don’t complete my hours, but considering the fact that I have a solid C in the class, I would prefer not to lose even five points unless I absolutely have to.

It looks as though I’ll be getting much better acquainted with the library this weekend! However, that’s a good thing. I’ve decided that I really need to be more studious. I mean, I’m in college now. It’s not high school. I can’t screw around, waste my time, put off my work, and expect to do well. I need to pay more attention to my studies if I’m going to keep that 4.0 grade average and get into grad school. Besides, I’m a scholarly guy. I like learning. I can even come to like work. I can be that smart nerdy guy that knows everything but it still really, really cool. I can be the guy that is two weeks ahead in his work and writes his papers weeks before they are due. I want to be that scholarly college student. I just need to put a little effort forth! Not only would I be making more use of my education, but I’d also make my life a whole lot less stressful.

To close, I’d like to leave you with a thought that my friend, Mr. Michael Ong, often uses as his away message:

Why do I always have so much work? Oh yeah—it’s because I procrastinate.