October 15, 2007

It’s midterms week at my fine educational institution and as a student I am double blessed, for I am trying to get ahead on my schoolwork so Earl and I can go to Ireland next week without my worrying about homework that may have been left behind.

I’ve griped about school quite a bit this semester, and I believe much of my griping is justified. However, in order for me to stick with my studies and to obtain that golden nugget called a degree, I have decided that I need to just make the whole affair interesting for me.

I am currently writing a research paper on the novel I chose to read for my English Literature class, “My Antonia” by Willa Cather. I’ve decided to focus on Cather’s suspected lesbianism and the subsequent undertones of her sexuality in Jim, the lead male character of the novel.

If I can talk about sex, I’m totally there.

Today when we had a pop quiz in Surveying (which we were allowed to use our book), I heard the student behind me struggling with the quiz because she had neglected to bring her book to class and was trying to find answers to formulas that required referencing the book. Since I tend to fly through quizzes at hyperspeed, I finished my quiz early so I tossed the book in her direction and let her keep it through the end of class. Later in the day at our outdoor surveying lab, she thanked me profusely and said she appreciated the gesture. Helping her made me more interested in what was going on in school.

In our afternoon lab we had to simulate a construction site and plot out the land for a large building. Divided up into four man crews, I watched my three crewmates spin the plans around in several directions and look off into the distance as they tried to line up point A with point B. I decided to take the bull by the horns and piped up, walking them through the layout of the building and where we should be setting up our surveying equipment, just as the professor walked over. He simply said, “guys, listen to J.P.” I’m old enough to be the father of the guys, they should trust the old man.

I’m often remarking to Earl that I respect self assured people that are uninhibited. I guess it’s time for me to start expressing myself. It keeps life interesting.