This was my day:
I woke up at 6:00 A.M.
I got out of bed at 6:30 A.M.
I freshened up and got ready by 7:45 A.M.
I went to the cafe and got a free White Chocolate Mocha Latte with extra syrup and whipped cream, and thank god my current campus keeps the coffee shop open during finals week.
I listened to the audio book version of Howard Blum’s Gangland while following along with the eBook version on Google Play Books. I took notes. Good ones. For everything I did listen to and read, I remember. It’s a compelling story. Mobsters (not all but many) facinate me even if they’re malicious jackasses. Just because someone’s lacking in morals doesn’t mean they’re lacking in charm or wit.
That’s why I took Intro to Org Crime this sem. And that’s why I was really reading the book. Because there was a question on the Final about it.
I did this until 11:50 A.M. at which point my alarm rang alerting me to the fact that I had my first shift at my campus tutoring center’s front desk.
By 12:00 P.M. I had introduced myself to the student I had been paired with for shift. We spent about half an hour getting to know each other, discussing current legal policies regarding age limits for various activities and how it makes no sense. That while a 21 Year Old can get in trouble for having sex with a 16 Year Old, said 16 Year Old can’t get in trouble for sleeping with a 14 Year Old under Romeo & Juliet provisions. That while they prohibit drinking until someone is 21 Years Old because apparently their brains are still developing at the point, 18 Year Olds are eligible to go to war and put their lives on the line for the same country that would arrest them if they were caught drinking some alc in public.
We scanned tutoring logs.
From 1 P.M. to 5 P.M., I tutored 4 students for MATH 21 (Algebra) and MATH 140 (Calc).
By 5:10 P.M., I was sitting in the cafe, eating 6 mozarella sticks for dinner with marinara sauce (that I hate on pizza but love with mozarella sticks).
While I ate, I listened to some more of Gangland. I never finished it and I guessed on two of the questions on the test which Google later told me I got wrong. I might listen to it before I sleep tonight or some other night to pass the Time. The man who read it read it rather well. And that says a lot because I usually hate audio books because they’re never read well and it annoys me.
At 5:50 P.M., yet another of my alarms rang (I have alarms for everything because I can’t feel the passing of time that accurately).
At 6:00 P.M., I sat down to take my Intro to Organized Crime. I guessed on a few of the questions. For what I did pay attention to, I remembered. For what I didn’t, it wasn’t a matter of forgetting because I didn’t know it in the first place. The professor’s lectures are intriguing but he never writes notes on the board and interest alone isn’t enough to hold my attention. Though I never bore easily, I do tend to zone out frequently unless A) I am speaking or B) there is a reason to actively and frequently switch my attention between multiple aspects of my surroundings (for example, between a prof’s voice and what’s written on the board) so that I don’t end up diverting my attention into the mind.
I thought the exam would go until 8:00 P.M., but I cam out of the room at 7:04 P.M. I’m expecting I’ll get at least 80%. I turned on my phone and texted my boyfriend 3 Minutes later to update him.
I took a nice long shower. I played some music because this is another way in which I can keep track of the time. I learn the lengths of the songs I frequently listen to. I can remember how long I’ve been in the shower by recalling how many songs I listened to and which ones and how many times I listened to each one. That, and I love music, and taking a shower in silence irks me. So does eating in silence. Or doing work in silence.
Silence irks me.
By 8:20 P.M., I had planted myself on my favorite couch in the lounge of my building. I spent 40 Minutes finishing some digital paperwork for my tutoring job.
At 9:00 P.M., I had my last tutoring session for the day. A writing session. A film analysis paper.
My friend thinks it’s overkill that I worked 5 Hours today and am working 5 Hours tomorrow. I think I’m making $50 bucks a day and helping 5-10 people and it’s beautiful.
By 10:00 P.M., we set up another appointment for tomorrow, same time, and ended the session so I could finish my final project for Fiction Writing.
My revision of one of the short stories I wrote this sem and a revision statement outlining what my revision process was due at 12:00 A.M. I submitted it at 12:20 A.M.
I did some more paperwork.
I came back to my room by 12:48 P.M. and texted Meri Jaan goodnight.
I thought of texting my dad goodnight tok but I knew he would question why I was awake so late (though he already knows I rarely turn in early) and worry that I wasn’t getting enough sleep and I didn’t want him to stress himself out. No point to it. Because it wouldn’t have fixed my sleep schedule anyway.
Nothing will.
As I type this sentence it is 1:59 A.M. and I’m tired yet not tired. I’m relaxed. In spite of the fact that I’ve been up for almost 20 hours, I feel good. Heart’s content knowing that I lived this day to the fullest.
I know I’m a workaholic. I’m not in denial. The difference between me and the rest of them: I like it like this. If working all the time is working for me, why should I change it?
