The Elephant in the Room: I sat outside and it wasn’t raining!

It’s getting to that point in the semester where bursts of motivation are few and far between for me. Although I’m really supposed to be memorizing the definitions of the Protestant work ethic and the spirit of capitalism for my sociological theory exam tomorrow, I somehow just got sucked into a hole of watching videos of baby otters cuddling on their moms' stomachs for a solid 20 minutes. It seems like I have the ability to get everything that isn’t imminently due done, such as my laundry, finally updating my Facebook cover photo from Christmas, listening to two new albums that came out and hanging back up that picture that fell down a week ago from my wall. I could vacuum the floor of my room until there were no hairs in sight, clean my fish’s bowl and apply for cat sitting jobs for the summer, but damn, if I were able to study about hegemony and the different types of authority with as much enthusiasm as I do the things that I don’t have to do, I’d ace the test.

Don’t get me wrong, I put in work on a Quizlet today, but I also made time to get a fantastic omelet for brunch this morning and pet a dog that needed a haircut. Yes, it would be great to be able to study like there’s no tomorrow, but unfortunately, the exam is tomorrow. I don’t know what my mental block is about actually sitting down and studying for an exam. I can do just fine writing out a study guide and discussing the material with classmates, but when it comes to reading over my study guide time and time again, my eyes tend to glaze over. I guess I’m a social studier. For whatever reason, when it comes time for that long haul in the library, I always feel more at ease when other people are suffering with me.

I am definitely team 'give me a paper or project over an exam (and especially a problem set)' any day. I, a film and media studies major, stepped foot in Bromfield-Pearson Hall for the first time in my two years at Tufts on Friday when I needed to find a friend and give her tea because she was ill. I guess I like the ability to really think through my ideas before I put them down on paper. I get very nervous when a professor says that I have five minutes left and I still have a short essay left to write.

To be honest with you, readers, I stopped writing that paragraph last night to watch an episode of "MasterChef" (2010–present) and then went to a Tufts Dance Collective practice. I am now finishing this column while sitting on the President's Lawn in the sun, and I had a great salad for lunch. The fact that it is warm and that I can wear sandals and write outside is pretty lovely. I finished my exam today and decided to treat myself to some sun and bubble tea with great people. I got a tease of the feeling of how the summer is going to go, and I’m hoping that will motivate me to finish the semester.