God, it's only 10 AM, and already enough has happened to justify an entire blog entry!
I just got up early to get some blood work done at the Hurtado lab. It was the first time I've ever had blood drawn, and I was freaking out. I thought I was going to pass out and die and then I'd wake up in a morgue somewhere with a vampire zombie doctor saying "Look at all this fresh BLOOOOOOOOOOD!" and then gutting me with a spork.
BUT ANYWAY. It actually didn't hurt at all; getting my ears pierced hurt way more. When the actual blood was being drawn, I felt like I was going to pass out, but that feeling quickly passed as soon as it was over. And then, just as I was standing up to leave, the technician was like, "Oh, btdubs, we need a urine sample!" and hands me this clear cup.
A CLEAR CUP. FOR ME TO PEE IN. AND THEN CARRY OUT INTO THE WAITING ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE.
"But if you can't give me one right now, that's ok, because we need a lot," she added quickly.
Oh. Okay. So first you give me a cup and say, "Pee in this!" and then you imply that I can't even produce enough urine to satisfy you???!!
BRING IT. I WILL PEE IN THIS CUP LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW.
Anyway, after that was over, I went to Au Bon Pain and treated myself to an iced coffee, some lemon pound cake, and a chat with my friend Erin. We talked about gross things the entire time, including but not limited to: eye cysts, pus, urine, blood, accidentally walking in on someone in the bathroom, and the creepy old men who hogged our table. We are certainly mature young ladies.
This brings me to my next topic (ok, actually it doesn't, but I have no better transition than that): the HUGE amounts of work I have.
To be quite honest, I never did much work in high school. I was always able to get by on the bare minimum of effort, especially in History and English classes, by a combination of flattery, intelligence, and sheer dumb luck. And so I thought, "Hey, as long as I actually DO my work in college, it'll be a breeze."
My GOD, was I wrong.
I have so much work that I don't even know what to do with myself. I HAVE ALREADY READ 5 NOVELS, PEOPLE. FOR ONE CLASS. I'VE READ 5 NOVELS. I've written countless essays, read countless articles, and I'm pretty sure that when they test my blood they'll find that it's been entirely replaced by coffee. Schoolwork has replaced almost every activity in my life. Sometimes I forget to eat because I'm just so busy.
But don't let this scare you away from college, high school students! First of all, I am a huge overachiever. I'm pretty sure my Modern and Contemporary Lit. teacher let me rewrite my paper for extra credit only because she was worried I was going to have a nervous breakdown. I am NOT a calm person, and that is a big mistake on my part. If you can take just 20 minutes to chill out each day and stop stressing about schoolwork, you'll already be far better off than I am.
Also, you have to make sure you're taking classes you love. I can handle the courseload I have (16 credits) only because my classes are all a.) in the Humanities and b.) ones I enjoy. If you're a theater major who's enrolled in Chemistry, Calculus, and Biology, you're really going to be struggling. You have to make sure you're taking classes in topics that interest you, because otherwise you're just going to say, "Screw it" and stay on Facebook for 14 hours.
Also also, don't overextend yourself. I came to college thinking I was going to be involved in 2 or 3 clubs, have a part-time job, get As in all my classes, and go out a few nights a week.
HA. HAHAHAHAHAHA.
It only took me about four days of class to realize what a pipe dream that was. YOU CAN'T DO EVERYTHING. You need sleep, you need to eat, and you need to shower (for the love of god). If I was doing all those things, I'd be DEAD right now. DEAD. I would be a vampire zombie lady. And vampire zombie ladies can't get jobs after graduation. So make sure you prioritize. Your health and happiness comes first, then your grades, then everything else. If you need a semester to just focus completely on your studies (and job, if you have one) and don't join a single club, that's ok! You'll have plenty of time to that stuff second semester, when you've really gotten used to college life.
So, in case you didn't feel like reading all that rambling, just remember: CHILL OUT. And drink a lot of fluids before being forced to pee in a cup so you don't embarrass yourself.
You know, I just realized that when one reads my blog entries, it sounds like I'm complaining about everything. But I'm not! I'm greatly amused by almost all the things that happen here at Rutgers (except the weekend buses, YES I AM STILL BITTER ABOUT THAT). It's fun. It's an experience! That's how I try to view everything: as a great story to tell my friends and you, dear readers.
So now I have an hour and a half to kill before Creative Writing, most of which will probably be spent on Sporcle. Don't say I don't have my priorities in order.
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