Procrastination

Ah the familiar feeling of procrastination.  Why do I procrastinate so badly?  What is it about that feeling of rushing to get something done in the last minute that makes me return to it again and again and again?  Sigh.

Admittedly, I've gotten somewhat better about it now, because rowing forces me to plan my time out or face imminent stress-related death and failure.  Yet still, whenever I find myself with free time and something important to do (like study for this stupid GeoSci exam), I usually end up doing everything except for that one little thing.  

Yet still, even as I recognize my own procrastination and wax pathetically on about it, I still won't change my ways.  Why?  Honestly, because I know I will get it done with little to no consequences for procrastinating.  The day that procrastination results in me getting anything lower than a B on a paper or test will be the day I stop doing it.  Until then, though, well, if procrastination keeps rewarding me, I will keep doing it.  Plain and simple.  Take this Geo Sci exam for example.  I could study tonight, but I know I'm going to get in plenty of studying for this exam before tomorrow at 3 even if I don't start right now.  It's a 30-question multiple choice test, and most of the questions were drawn straight from the previous quizzes and lecture notes.  Basically, I have to do some rote memorization of some trivial shit and that's that.  Thankfully, even in my old age my memory is still fairly sharp, so I'm really not planning on it taking too long or being too strenuous.  It is, however, boring.  Which is why I can't bring myself to do it now when there are so many more fun things to do, like write a new blog post!  

So far tonight here are some activities I have done that can't (correctly) be labeled "study for my geo sci exam":

• Watch last night's episode of Glee
• Download all the songs from the episode
• Get into a new-music downloading frenzy
• Update my iPod
• Update my Google Calendar
• Read a few ESPN articles (Urban Meyer stepping down?  So much more interesting than reading about microorganisms!)
• Facebook (obviously) 
• Eat (also obviously)
• Read Hyperbole and a Half (my new favorite website)

After doing that, I was kind of out of things to do, and so I was like, aha!  Perfect time to update my blog!  And write about procrastination!  Brilliant!

Will I regret this?  It's possible.  If I get to my GeoSci feeling anything short of totally prepared, I'll probably look back on this post and think "I'm an idiot." Otherwise, the answer is no, no not at all.  Procrastination is just a part of me now.  I might as well embrace it and figure out how to still run my life effectively while dealing with this terrible malady.  

A few random things and then I'll send you on your way:

1. Something I've taken to doing lately is putting tobasco sauce in things and then adding the word "spicy" to the name to make a new recipe.  Marinara sauce?  Add tobasco and VOILA:  "Spicy Marinara."   This is actually quite delicious...most of the time.  Basically, I'm a culinary genius.  
2. 8x500m is the devil's workout, created only to make my legs hurt and my lungs collapse.  I managed to somehow defeat this horrible workout today and now I'm so tired.  Maybe that's why I can't bring myself to do any real work.  Yeah, that's it....
3. I'm going to be 23 soon and I don't know how I feel about that.  On the one hand, 23 is still young (I guess) but I think this is the first time I've ever worried about the fact that I'm going to be 30 someday in the foreseeable future.  Someday, I will be old (not that 30=old, just generally speaking)...this frightens me.  
4. I've started listening to Christmas music again.  Once December comes around and the snow is falling freely it's time to bust out a few of the annual classics and jam.  

Well, that's all for now.  Maybe I'll go do some work (but probably  not).  

Baby, it's cold outside...

xoxo,

Lauren

Life is Good

What's not to love about life right now?  It is snowing outside, I am inside with a warm blanket and a cup of hot chocolate (and my laptop of course), and it is the beginning of my favorite month:  December!  Why would I love December so much, you might wonder.  Well, December holds many of my favorite things:  Christmas, my birthday (which is Christmas Eve), winter break, New Year's Eve, peppermint lattes at Starbucks, Christmas lights, holiday festivities, holiday dresses, and of course, day-after-Christmas sales.  

Anyway, December is pretty much amazing, and true to form, so is my life.  Do I wish it were a little warmer outside, and that instead of erging I could be rowing (if it were warm, that is)?  Obviously.  But, you have to give and take, I suppose.  Plus, with the holiday comes our on-your-own workout period, which I love because it allows me to do the workouts whenever I feel like it.  Usually my finals-time schedule goes something like this:  wake up around 8, 8:30, start studying by 10 with a large cup of coffee, break time from 1-4 during which I eat, erg, shower, and get ready to start studying again.  Then around 4, 4:30 I start up studying into the rest of the night.  It's just so nice to have the entire day to schedule it how I want to.  It allows me to really focus on studying, and actually makes me want to workout, as I consider it my "break" from studying.  

In fact, once Friday evening hits I'll pretty much be home free.  My 6k will be done, my stupid history reading journals will be turned in, and all I'll have left after that are 3 finals, one of which will be a take-home essay.  Not too bad, considering some of the horror shows I've had in finals past, including last year during which I had to write 4 5-page papers for ONE CLASS, only two of which were actually going to be graded.  I think the only way I got through that was my 11 pm McDonald's trip aka "study break."  Nothing like a McDonald's cheeseburger to get you through the night.  

Anyway, enough about finals, let's talk about more fun things, like what I want for Christmas!  

So far, this is my Christmas list:

Ray-Ban avs

YSL parisienne perfume

Also, I like how my frenchy boyfriend HAS to make fun of me when I call it simply Y-S-L rather than saying the entire name.  It's not like I can't pronounce it correctly, but sometimes I just don't feel like saying the whole thing.  That was annoying.  Especially when the woman in the perfume store abbreviated it as well!  Geez.

And finally, I want:  

some more of these babies.  I know, sexy right?

After that, the only thing I want is money to go towards a new laptop (Macbook Pro, baby).  I feel like between the money I get for Christmas and my birthday, I should have just about enough to buy it.  I'll probably have to put a little of my own money towards it to, but that's not a big deal.

Oh and for my birthday I just asked to go shopping with my mom!   One of my favorite things to do.  :)  

Lest I sound like a selfish brat, I should say that another one of my favorite things about the holidays is spending time with my family, and of course, getting them gifts as well!  Finding the perfect present and watching somebody you care about open it gleefully is just so satisfying.  So far I've got presents for my mom and dad, and for Martin.  I just need to get my brothers' gifts and then I should be all set.  

The holiday lights in downtown Rochester are beautiful right now too.  Definitely one of my favorite parts about going home is driving through downtown at night to gaze at the spectacular light show.  For those of you who haven't seen them, they look like this:

Super pretty.  Apparently the woman who thought of this got the idea after going to Disneyworld.  You can definitely see the magical resemblance.  :)  

Okay well that's all for today.  Hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of another magical holiday season!

Love,

Lauren