Days of the Weak

I’m writing this in a computer lab on campus. It’s Friday, which means I don’t have Latin, which means I have an hour break between Greek and Deductive Logic. It’s the first week of school, and already I’m so very glad it’s Friday. And a three-day weekend to boot. Hooray for me.

It’s funny how calm and serene this computer lab is today. Near the end of the semester, it would be overly crowded in here. The rainstorm of fingers against keys would be deafening. Today, however, there are only three other people in here. Web surfers, I imagine, as I’m the only one who seems to be typing much. Otherwise, all I hear is the occasional click-click of a mouse.

So, how is school? To quote the great Stephanie Tanner-Brown, school is “fine.” I think it will be pretty good once I get into the flow of things. It’s been hard this week, and I believe (and hope) it is all because this is the first week. I just need to get into the flow. Motivation has not come easily, but I think it will. Greek is, pardon the pun, a godsend this semester. Homer is so much easier than Thucydides, and the book we are using is fantastic. It has most of the vocabulary right there on the page, as well as a lot of grammar explanations. It is the most student-friendly text I have ever seen. The one problem is that my teacher has us translating about 45 lines for every class period, and as user-friendly as the text is, this can take forever. It seems a bit excessive. Later in the semester, we are switching to a text that is not as helpful, but the daily requirements will be the same. That will suck. Excessive frustration is surely yet to come.

My Latin class is kind of drab compared to last semester. But it’s hard to compare since, last semester, I had a fantastic instructor, someone who’s taught at least one of my classes every single semester that I’ve been at the U (except maybe once, but I can’t quite recall). In fact, this semester she is teaching my “Images of Women in Ancient Greece and Rome” class. I trust the class will be very enjoyable simply because she is the teacher. This is at least the sixth class I have taken from her. Latin, however, just won’t be the same. I have the same teacher I had for Greek last semester. I believe, given that I’m earlier in my Latin career and thus more competent, I should be able to get an A. At least I can say that much.

My final class, Deductive Logic, is really just for fun, given that I have now finished my philosophy degree. I hope I don’t regret taking it. It’s going to be highly mathematical. In fact, all my teacher wanted to do on the first day of class was scare everybody away. “If you don’t have to take this class, get your money back while you still can! Why do this to yourself!?” Such were his sentiments. Anyway, he is the same teacher I had for what was probably my favorite philosophy class ever, Early Modern Philosophy, and thus I expect to enjoy the class. And I’m not taking it for absolutely no reason at all. Philosophy grad schools require a certain level of logic aptitude, and I haven’t really done much with it so far. I figure this will help. I also have to wonder if it won’t be easier to ensure an A in a class where you’re not being so “creative.” That is to say, I don’t have to write a paper, I just have to know the math. There is no subjective component to how well I do, and, depending on the teacher, that could work in my favor. We’ll see.

And so begins the semester. Perhaps I will make it a habit to blog during my break on Fridays. I should probably invest the time into homework, but I feel incredibly tired right now. Naturally, I am already sleep deprived. I got about six hours sleep last night, which I guess isn’t too shabby. I think I can get things in order next week. In bed by ten, up at six. That’s my daily goal. It’ll give me eight hours sleep, plus I’ll have extra time in the mornings on Tuesdays and Thursdays if I’m up that early. I think that will be nice. It’ll take discipline, but that seems to be my goal this year. Stay tuned…