Tuesday, October 04, 2005

end times?

So, it’s been sitting in my Calvin webmail inbox for a while now… and I’ve been avoiding it. Moving it to different boxes… marking it as unread, and then reading it again. Then I printed it off and let it sit on my desk for two weeks. Tonight I decided to finally deal with it.

It’s supposed to be a pretty painless procedure, and my roommate has already gone through it. Very simple, but I’m still dragging my feet.

The Registrar’s Office is asking all seniors to fill out an Application for a Degree by October 14. It’s a small form: how will your name appear on your degree, what information do you want by your name on the graduation list, etc. Things I don’t really have to think about… but am still reluctant to go through with. It feels so final.

Academic advising is slowly approaching, and the interim and spring class schedules are posted… suddenly I’m remembering how many profs I haven’t met yet, or haven’t had a class with. Will I get to take all those classes I’ve been drooling over since freshman year?? I’m not sure. I’m auditing one this semester, which I know I couldn’t have squeezed in otherwise: the British Novel. (And it’s so worth it. Since I don’t have to do exams or papers, I feel like it’s a huge book club. And a great excuse to read Pride and Prejudice in the middle of the semester.)

But I feel like I’ll need to audit, oh, about seven classes next semester, just to make sure I’ve been to all the ones I’ve wanted to take. (Maybe I could even take Shakespeare a second time? Couldn’t hurt.)

Conversations with my senior friends have turned morbid: most of our talks center on how quickly our time at Calvin is wrapping up. I’m here until May, but two of my apartment-mates are leaving for spring semester. And then everything really seems to speed up.

We have a list posted on our refrigerator—things we need to do before we go. (Confession: I ripped this idea off my friend Karen last year.) It’s a long list. And we’re in October already! Exams and the first wave of papers are just around the corner (if they haven’t hit already), and it’s flying so fast. We still need to get to Yesterdog, Robinette’s orchard, Four Friends coffeehouse, the 1913 room, and so many other places.

This past Sunday, we took a break. The four of us went to Macaroni Grill and took our time with fresh pasta, pizza, tiramisu, and rosemary bread. We talked about everything: one of the girls practiced a speech (my roommate took notes on the paper table cover), and another got some really exciting news that she wanted to share. It was a good break from homework and deadlines and doing dishes.

It’s funny: the more deadlines push and the faster time goes, the more I feel like I just need to sit. Breathe. Read a book about Venice. Knit. (My red scarf is coming along verrrry slowly.) I want to invest in the things that take time, things you can’t do quickly. Hmm. If anyone else is feeling the same pressure, feel free to weigh in on this. I’d love to hear about what you do to battle the craziness!—jl

Posted by Jenn Langefeld on 10/04 at 09:36 PM
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