...temperatures on average...

Re: the trials and tribulations of academia

i) I had to drop Canadian Politics. It was hurting my soul, just devastatingly. For such an important class, it's taught by the most depressingly boring prof, and the material in the texts is just made so dry. Out of a list of 50 topic suggestions for our term paper, not one had an ounce of creativity. I dreaded thinking about it for weeks, then three days before it was due, when I still couldn't bring myself to write anything about it -- I realized that I'm in university, and a grownup, and if I don't like a class, I can DROP IT! Relief relief.

ii) Last year I wrote this anthropology paper and, not to toot my own horn or anything, but it was kind of a big deal. In another class with the same prof this year, I've spent the last few weeks topic hunting. I thought at first that I had found inspiration for one, but it just wasn't a practical research project to do in so little a timeframe. Yesterday though I came upon it, and it is so much fun, and so fascinating that the rest of the year will be exciting as a result. So yay me -- and I just want to stop doing other things, and just work on this. I can't, but that's okay.

iii) Everyone has those kinds of people to deal with. You know the type: the brown-nosing, always-talking kids who raise points and ask questions just to get their voice heard. They make you crazy, they make the prof crazy, and they haven't got a clue. I've got one of those. Well. Even with all her questions, and hand-raising, and commenting, and analysing everything as an "active sign of resistance" (note: not even in cultural anthropology is everything a sign of resistance), I still stuck it to her on the last note. Sorry kid. Next time maybe.