where is my mind?

The last few weeks of the semester are so stressful! I'm counting the minutes down until it's summertime; despite the stress of the LSAT, writing law school applications, commuting to my (likely) internship in San Francisco, starting my RA job, and (finally) moving, I CAN'T WAIT. I decided not to take a summer class and focus on applying to law school instead. It wasn't the easiest decision, because if I had taken a class this summer I wouldn't have to take an elective my last semester, but eh, whatever. You can't win them all, right? I can't believe I registered for my penultimate semester of college today; it's completely surreal.

Lately, I find that I'm easily distracted. Like, after writing this sentence, I checked my personal email, my school email, facebook, twitter, tumblr, changed the song on iTunes (from the Pixies to Glee, in case you were wondering), and finally came back to this thought. Putting aside that I have more social networking sites than any one person should, I simply have no attention span for anything. Today, I was intent of working on a difficult paper I have that's due Tuesday...but I can't work without a clean desk, and cleaning my desk turned into cleaning my room which turned into not getting any (school) work done. Productive procrastination? I've mastered it. I need to focus, damnit! I only have two weeks of actual class left, dead week, and then finals...so close!

Anyway, I'm going to attempt to do some reading before going to bed, if I can manage to focus on the novel at all. I'm currently reading Olivia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower for my Atomic Age class, if you were wondering.

Here's some classic Pixies for your time; it's definitely relevant to this post. Enjoy!

I HATE FINALS I HATE FINALS I HATE FINALS


Please explain to me why I'm writing an essay on U.S.-Mexico Border Relations for my GENDER STUDIES CLASS?! WHY AREN'T ANY OF THE QUESTIONS ABOUT GENDER?!?!?!

I can't wait until this semester is over.

Best way to procrastinate? CLEANING.
You think I'm kidding, I'm sure...but seriously...it's relaxing, grants instant gratification, and you still feel productive even though you haven't gotten any reading done! Yay!

I cannot wait for this weekend...my best friend is coming up from LA, it's the Cal vs USC game (GO BEARS), and it's my 20th birthday! So very excited :)

overwhemled (1)

I'm overwhelmed. Talking to a good friend, they suggested I go to bed, rest, and wake up refreshed and ready to take on my workload one piece at a time. Good advice...given to me two (unproductive) hours ago. Whoops.

Honestly, why is it so hard to be productive? I'm smart, so why is this so hard? I'd like to blame the media for creating our short attention spans...but really, I hate that I can't just sit down and focus. I'm trying so hard not to put everything off, but at the same time, I can't just sit down and get it all done. I have two papers due a week from tomorrow, and though I have outlines for both (one on the iPhone campaign and one on Studio 60) I haven't actually started writing either...and let's not even get into the reading I haven't done. It's not like I'm going out and partying, though, I just sit at home and get distracted! Whether it be writing in my journal, updating my blog, or emailing my best friend, there's always something else that I'm doing. I know, I know, discipline, and when that doesn't work, there's always Self-Control. Goddamn. And the thing was, even though I didn't get what I needed to done, I did a lot: went to work, talked to GSI's for two different classes, made a new friend to study with, sat in the grass under a tree (which consequently reminded me of that Gilmore Girls episode, when Rory is exploring Yale to find the "perfect tree" to study under), did some reading for GWS, wrote two letters, wrote a four page journal entry, went to class (and paid attention...intersectionality is so intense!), studied with friends, went to dinner...it's just when I got home that all of the sudden I just...stopped. I don't know, I guess this is something I'm going to have to learn to deal with, and overcome. It's just hard.

I should go to bed, I've got a long day tomorrow.

busy bee!

I really shouldn't be posting right now, but hey, isn't that what us college students are known best for? You know, getting online and putting off our reading and papers, then reading the news, checking out our favorite blogs, texting our friends, calling our mothers...basically, procrastinating.

I'm not going to even try to say that I've never procrastinated; in fact, I became pretty efficient at procrastinating my first couple of years of college. I mean, it got to the point where I wrote a ten page paper on stem cell research the night before it was due...and was then able to convince the professor to give me an extension, edited it, and got an A. I was really lucky, but not the best strategy, right?

Right. Especially since at Cal, you really can't do that. You can do a lot of things (and get away with a lot of things, just ask the people smoking weed on the corner of Channing & Telegraph), but you simply cannot get away with putting stuff off, not anymore. At least, not with any of my professors! I have so much to do it's ridiculous. Here's the basic summary of the stuff I need to do/start this weekend, for those of you who care:

• Media Studies Discussion: Response Paper on different news sources' covering the health care debate (due Sept 15)
  
• Media Studies Lecture: 4-5 page paper analyzing any one piece of media (due Sept 24)
  
• Advertising: 4-5 page paper analyzing one individual piece of advertising (due Sept 24)
  
• Gender in America: Newsmedia Journal (collect one article/week and analyze it using our reading) (due Nov 18, but need one entry/week)
  
• Reading for Advertising (Total Package ch 3, 4, 7; Land of Desire ch 1-3; Advertising the American Dream ch 5-8)
  
• Reading for Media Studies (MediaMaking pg 65-132, 135-160, 219-232; Convergence Culture: "Origami Unicorn"; "The Problem of Knowing"; "Predicting the Unpredictables")
  
• Reading for Gender Studies ("Removal"; "Cherokee Women"; "Crafting Feminist"; "Katrina & Social Justice"; "Natural & Social Meet"; "Crossing the Line"; "Ethnic Scarring")
  

So, I'm going to get started tonight and GET.IT.DONE. I don't really have any other options...I want to do well, so I'm going to invest all of my time into getting everything done to the best of my ability...which happens with time, and therefore no more procrastinating (I hope). Wish me luck!

Oh, I guess I never mentioned that I dropped my History of Latin America class? I didn't really need it (unless I decide to double major in History), and the Professor was awful (honestly, I never thought it was possible to fall asleep in a history class, especially at Berkeley...I was wrong), and there was SO MUCH READING. So, why invest time in a class I don't really need or like when I can focus more on the classes that actually apply to my major? To make up for my lack of units, I'm taking a class on Digital Photography, which starts on Monday. I'm so excited!

Also, I decided to take my own advice (for once) and get involved~. I'm running (unopposed) to become the secretary of the Apartment Tenant Association, and applying to get involved in CalTV (applying for the Cinematography department & the Marketing team...we'll see where/if I get in!)

Basically...I need to get off the internet. Bye!