I have this file called "new.txt" saved on my desktop, specifically for writing down segments of entries when I don't have time to write the whole thing. It's easier for me just to write a block of text first, without worrying about tags, and then stick it in the template later.
What happens more often than not, though, is that the contents "new.txt" become old before I do anything with them. I'm always opening the file to find scattered sentences about problems long solved, or snippets of dialogue that have lost their humor. Usually, I just highlight the lines, hit the "delete" key, and start anew in a blank white rectangle.
I am merciless with my lackluster bits.
I have two weeks left of school, or, to be more precise, school work, before I am free for the summer. Within that time, I somehow must do three oral presentations, one four-page paper, two 15-page papers, and half of a website. I think I would have either fainted or gone mad facing that workload my first year, but one of the greatest skills one can learn in college is to write papers FAST. Also, I had two oral presentations last week and have learned that pulling one together is not terribly difficult. Notecards, powerpoint, overhead transparencies, yippee! I get caught up in the materiality of it- so much more satisfying than a boring paper.
I've been hired to work for reunion weekend, which starts almost immediately after my work is done. It looks to be a rather amusing weekend- me, bartending! me, driving golf carts! me, with walkie-talkie! I expect to gather many good stories. Of course, I'll also earn about a month's rent, but you didn't think I'd do it just for the money, did you? It's the stories, people, the stories.
Speaking of jobs and stories, I have secured one of the former for the summer, and one that I think will provide a fair amount of the latter. I was offered positions in both the Admissions Office and the Chapel-- I'm in quite high demand in the uber-prestigious on-campus job market, you know-- and decided to go with Admissions. It was actually a difficult choice; both jobs had their advantages. I was so torn that I simply had to go with where I could earn the most. Can't you just see it? Me, giving tours to prospective students, talking up their parents... it should be most interesting.
I'm so looking forward to having a schedule where I get up, go to work, come home, and have evenings and weekends free- the past few summers I've had to balance two part-time jobs, complete with 12-hour days. As I tell my friends, I just want to sit on my porch at twilight and drink beer. Well, not only that: I have a substantial "books to read" list, as well as plans for many picnics in Minnehaha Park.
Well, well. I must put my nose back to the grindstone. Is that how the metaphor goes?