Round 2

"You may delay, but time will not."

Benjamin Franklin

Now ain't that the truth? Let me tell you, I can be the biggest procrastinator. I can also go the opposite extreme with "I gotta do it NOW" syndrome. When it comes to all-things-boring, though, I procrastinate.

This is the month of April, and I'm retaking Literary Theory, LIT 360. That's right, retaking. Now, this was the only class I probably have a somewhat decent excuse for failing. I took it last May, and every single one of us happened to get sick that month. And could we all get sick in the same week? Nope. We spanned it out week by week... if I was a smart person, I would have taken the "W" to Withdrawal. Did I? No, of course not. Here I am now, trying to replace that F. Procrastination has given me a few other F's... (no excuses those time, just lack of planning) and I'm finally learning: hey, don't procrastinate. Plan ahead!

Wow, what a concept.

Back to Lit Theory. Knowing I had to retake this class is like the bane of my existence.

Would YOU like to read this book?

Yes, it really is that thick. I put it next to the laptop as a reference point.

Now you tell me, does this book look appealing to you? I mean, look at that cover. Look how BORING it is. They didn't even TRY to spruce it up. The cover alone just screams, "I'M BORING. YOU DON'T WANT TO READ ME!" At least all the other Literature books put some nice painting, ancient sculptures, etc. But no no, not The Critical Tradition.

To David H. Richter, you didn't have to take Plato's Republic so seriously when designing the cover of this book.

And it's in tiny size print

Paper thin, bible like pages.

Well, I'm proud to say, I'M AHEAD. Yes, for once in my life, I'm ahead of the game. Class started Monday, so first thing Monday morning (knowing what I was in for this time), I got to reading the class lectures right away. I've pushed, I've cranked, I even dreamed about Aristotle. In two days and a half days I finished all the readings for Unit 1, PLUS all four Discussion Board posts. That's right, I read Plato, Aristotle, Horace, and Longinus, plus four DBs... and the last two readings and DBs weren't due until Friday.

WOW. I must say, it feels so good. Franklin had it right; we may delay, but time will not. This time around, instead of being so compulsive, or not well planned... I'm thinking ahead. I planned out (and shopped) for two weeks worth of groceries, baby wipes, and diapers. I have no reason to make those little runs to the store for my lack of planning. That said, I've been able to put much more effort into the reading assignments and get AHEAD. Now, instead of thinking all I could be doing at this exact moment (i.e., procrastinating), I'm thinking if I get ahead... just imagine all the wonderful things I can do at the end of the class, STRESS FREE! While all the other suckers are sitting there making posts at 11:59:59PM... I'm sitting here enjoying my Wednesday night, blogging away.

What if I try to put it at an artsy-like angle, with candles and a delicious dinner in the background...?

Nope. Still dull.