Kedzie's Top 10 Ways To Procrastinate

As a means of stepping back from the more serious and emotion-based topics I often find myself blogging, I've decided to write about something that's pertinent to all of us students:

PROCRASTINATION

(Hell, those of you in the real world are probably just as guilty of this as us)

So today I'm going to try and entertain you all with my favorite 10 ways of putting off work. Now, as I write this post I'm going to pretend I don't have an assignment due in two hours, nor do I have a portfolio worth 40% of my semester grade due next week. Hahaha. Oh, college. Ironically, blogging doesn't even make my list!

But anywho... let's get this thing going:

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#10: Peggle

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the word "Peggle," let me warn you... IT'S EVIL! Peggle is what I like to refer to as "computer game crack." Step aside you weirdos hooked on World of Warcraft and other games I have never, and will never, understand - a new era of addictive gaming is on the horizon and it's all thanks to a unicorn named Bjorn.

Peggle is a game like pinball, only... not. Yes, thank you, I'm quite good at making comparisons. The purpose of the game is to shoot a small ball into a mass of pegs - some blue, some orange/red and then two green and one purple. Blues are there basically as distractions because the point of the game is to clear the board of all orange/red pegs before you run out of balls to shoot. You're given 10 at the start of each level and if you do not catch the ball in the bucket at the bottom of the board, you lose it. It sounds complicated, because it is. Actually... it's not. Go play and find out. Do it. Now. Do it. Join us. Do it.

As you beat levels and become more familiar with the game, you unlock more and more unique characters, like Lord Cinderbottom (a dragon...) whom you'll probably fall in love with and accidentally rename (oh, Captain Copperbottom). Each character has special moves that are unlocked by hitting the green pegs, and I assure you, there is nothing more gratifying when you’re putting off a paper than watching your screen light up from Splork's explosion powers or Tula's pretty flowers. Ahhhhh.... I want to play now. Maybe I'll procrastinate on this blog...

#9: Sleeping

Well this concept doesn't really need much explaining, does it. Sleep... is... good.

But in all seriousness, what a perfect plan to put off work: completely forget about it! I know many of you, like myself, will sit at your desk staring down at your notes, or lay in bed straining your eyes to read, and suddenly you just feel exhausted. You know the feeling: your eyes getting heavy, your pillows calling to you saying "we're so cooooomfy!" Yes, they are. And so you lay down, just for a quick break, and next thing you know it's been three hours and you still haven't completed any work. Oopsy.

The only time sleeping is a no-no is when it completely backfires. You get into bed, ready to drift into a dream world where thesis statements and algorithms don' exist, and the next thing you know you're in the middle of a nightmare that involves your homework. WHAT?! Since WHEN did research papers grow legs, arms and jagged teeth and decide it was fun to chase me down Commonwealth Avenue?

Wait... none of you ever have those dreams? Um... yeah, yeah... neither do I...?

#8: Downloading and Ripping Music

Another perfect plan to avoid our textbooks is through music. But see, I don't just like to sit there and listen, I like to get more and more. Who knows when you're going to throw a party and need some good songs to listen to?

At home, one of my favorite things to do on school nights was to sit with my computer, open up Limewire, Kazaa, or whatever immoral music aggregator I had at the time and search for the best new music. Now that I'm at college, I can't.... But believe me, kiddos, there are ways around the firewalls.

My solutions: ripping music with Zamzar or secretly downloading with Sadsteve.com. It's a lot of fun to go onto youtube, find a song you like and then rip the audio to add to your itunes collection. It sounds techy and hard, but beleive me, it's not. The website makes it so user-friendly. Then there's Sadsteve with its huge library of music, all of which is untraceable for those who decide to download it. B-e-a-utiful.

#7: Twitter

Wait... you don't know what Twitter is? Oh, come on. Catch up, people.
I will be the first to admit that I am an absolute Twitter Junkie, and so that's why it falls into spot number seven on my list of procrastination-enhancers. I will literally leave my room and walk around to find something tweet-worthy when I don't feel like getting my work done.

If you really don't know what Twitter is, perhaps that's for the best. The website has already started to overload and glitch (hello, Twitter staff, get a better server!). But trust me when I say that it feels really good to be able to type up funny moments and thoughts in 140 characters or less whenever you feel like it. Hey, it's not stupid. It isn't. Shush! It's not!

#6: Clean and Organize

Surprised to see this in such a high spot in my top 10 count? I’m not. I don’t think you understand the obsessive qualities I have when it comes to the cleanliness of my workplace. Funny… because those qualities only seem to surface when I don’t actually want to work…

I’ll keep this explanation short: I love reorganizing and cleaning when there’s other work to be done. I feel like even though I’m procrastinating, I’m at least accomplishing something that is considered productive. So what if I vacuumed yesterday? So what if there’s only one piece of clothing on my floor? That stuff needs to be fixed.

#5: Eat

Mmm… perhaps one of the more dangerous ways to avoid homework. I love to eat. Who doesn’t? Food is my friend.

I can’t tell you the number of hours I’ve spent in the dining hall doing work (for real) this year, but whatever that number is, I imagine it’s completely eclipsed by how much time I’ve spent in the dining hall when there was other stuff to get done. Two hour or three hour lunches are normal, right?

Even when I’m in my room, food is always a good distraction. After all, I’ve got an industrial sized box of gold fish sitting on my shelf and it’s near impossible to study on an empty stomach. Nom nom nom.

#4:Work Out

Now, #4 and #5 probably go hand in hand for a reason. I can eat and eat to avoid my assignments, but then I feel guilty and say to myself, “Well, there’s always time to work out!”

From running miles and miles around the city, to crashing Fitrec’s weight room, there’s always plenty to do to get the adrenaline pumping. The problem is, sometimes I’ll want to stay out of my room and away from my books so long I absolutely exhaust myself. Note to my readers: going for a run, followed by lifting, followed by a tennis match is not a good idea.

But on the bright side, being so tired when I get back lets me revert all the way back to the procrastination option I deemed #9: sleep!

#3: Socialize

This one is plain and simple. Stop being a hermit and go out into the world! Some people I know need to do this more than others… cough cough.

What a good way to say “forget you” to your homework. Everyone loves going out with friends, no matter where or what is going on. Some of my favorite escapes include crashing in people’s rooms, laying on the ComLawn (Kate Edgar, this is for you), spending hours on the BU Beach and simply meandering through the city. No matter what you do, being with your friends makes it worth it.

And what’s even better is the fact that you’re all avoiding your studies, so you can complain about it together and not feel like complete academic failures.

#2: Mario Kart 64

This is easily my favorite option for procrastinating but, sigh, it couldn’t take the number one spot. But let’s focus on how spectacular this game is!

Oh, Mario Kart – thank you for retaining your appeal for the past… what, 10 years or so? Those of you who don’t appreciate this game, or never played it, you had some seriously underprivileged childhoods. I will pick Bowser and a couple red shells over Martha Tompson’s Principles of Psychology any day.

What I love about the game so much is that no matter how old I get, I don’t feel stupid for playing it. (Ugh… I know some of you are shaking your head at the screens and calling me a dork…). BUT OH WELL! Many of my friends here at BU will stand by my side and agree that Mario Kart is one of the most entertaining ways to forget about homework, even if it does get a little violent, loud, crazy and competitive.

#1: Facebook

And so, we’ve finally made it. Number one. Numero uno. The biggest, baddest and most addictive way to put off homework, studying, projects or life in general: Facebook.

Yes. A round of applause is necessary.

It may not be my favorite way to procrastinate, but there is no denying Facebook its crown as supreme ruiner of scholarly motivation. We all spend hours on this life-consuming website either browsing, stalking, liking, unliking, tagging, searching, poking, superpoking, friending, bumperstickering, blocking, chatting, updating and whatever else it is we do to pass the time.

Don’t deny it. Facebook is evil, but amazing. I can’t sit here and write a paper without getting bored and checking facebook an insane number of times, nor can I fault the people who purposely lock themselves out of their accounts to “de-tox their lives” from the facebook disease. Oh well, got to love it.

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Well, now that this is done, I suppose I should get to work… I’ll probably check facebook first.

I encourage you all to comment with other ways you enjoying procrastinating so that we can put together a master list. Here are a few honorable mentions that didn’t make my list: blogging, watching tv, watching movies, browsing youtube and plotting revenge.

Trust me...

Trust is a funny thing.

Actually… it’s not funny at all. It’s something serious. Something daunting. Something we use and abuse each and every day, only to find ourselves questioning whether we selected the right person to confide in.

Unfortunately, we often make mistakes.

To disclose personal information onto another individual, another aching soul, is something we all crave and desire. Even those whose walls of introversion have shadowed their yearning for a connection feel this need – this raw and primal longing. We go about our lives in relentless pursuit for someone, anyone, to whom we can pour out the contents of our heart; a person who will hold our hand as we watch the black and red swirls of secrets, passions, burdens and loves collide in a mess of honesty. But at the same time we fear. We fear the consequences of releasing these emotions and truths, telling ourselves that maybe we really can put all of our convictions and doubts into a box, lock it, and hide it upon the top shelf of our closet. But why does this fear exist?

For me, this fear comes from failure: the failure to accurately assess people’s character and intentions. I have many theories as to why I make so many of these errors, from being socially inept to living in a dream world (none of this is real!!!???), but none ever seem to hold true or carry over onto my next misjudgment. Each person in this world is as different and original as the buds of a tree, and though we wait and wait for the bloom, sometimes we just end up disappointed and barren. We can never hold the same expectations to each of these unique people, nor can we apply what we learn from one person to the next and expect perfect results. Life is truly a game of trial and error.

What frustrates me the most is my own drastic transformation in perspective about the world I live in and how to interact with it. One day I stand firmly with my heart upon my sleeve, open and gaping, allowing anyone to enter and exit at will. In these moments I trust everyone, wanting so badly to feel close to my friends and peers that I create delusions of security. Everyone is my friend. Everyone can help me. Everyone cares. But this just isn’t true. People are not inherently good. Then the next day I am cold, cut off. I become meticulous in my work and focus almost obsessively upon things that will separate me from being tricked, again, into a false sense of companionship.

In order to grow as a trusting person, I must first learn how to avoid internalizing each and every event in which I have been wronged. Although I recognize this fact, it is something that will take tremendous risk and courage. How can I let people close to me when, over and over again, I have watched my loved ones tear me or each other apart? How can I begin to form lasting friendships when, in multiple instances, I have had people I considered close to me deliberately broadcast information that had been discussed in confidence? I think in the instances where the person who broke my trust is someone I love, I must simply begin the process of forgiveness. For others, I must cut the ties and move on; after all, college is about finding our true friends, right? There will always be a few people out there who are going to try and screw us up, but we have to ignore them. They are nobodies. They are pathetic. They are the ones who are self-conscious and sad. They are the ones so miserable with their own existence that they are willing to jeopardize one friendship in order to feel like they’re worth something to someone else. Well here’s a little note to those of you who commit these terrible acts: you’re not worth anything, and one by one, every person you try to connect with will see that.

On the other hand, there are those who value our trust and care for us. In my life, sometimes it's hard for me to recognize or understand when or why people try to get close to me... for some reason I think it's my job to make them feel well-liked and receive nothing in return (though I know this is untrue and a good friendship is a mutual bond). But I also know that there is no time when I feel closer to somebody then in the times where I am completely vulnerable - where my honest words and feelings establish and foster a growing relationship. I trust my friend. They trust me. And in that moment, we see goodness. We forget about the people who do not value and honor the trust that should be of high priority in everyone's lives.

*Sigh* I digress...

Trust. It’s beautiful. Through trust I know that the foundation of love begins.

But trust can be broken. Trust can fade. And with this dissipation comes bitterness and anger.

The key, my friends, is that we learn to keep trying. Keep trusting. But at the same time, learn to sift through the many people we encounter and find the ones who are worth our words, our thoughts, our feelings and our entire hearts.

Through the dark we trudge, but we are not alone.
In this haze and confusion, we will find the lights to take us home.

Keep light in your life, and good luck.

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Fitting quote: “I never trust people's assertions, I always judge of them by their actions.”
~ Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho

Guilty Conscious

Dear Blog,

I'm so sorry we haven't seen or spoken to each other in so long... What has it been, nearly a month? And yet I feel as though the last time we were together was just yesterday, commiserating over what I now refer to as "THE track dilemma." Oh, what a time that was.

Let me just say that our separation has not been a personal choice, but rather the result of an increasingly busy life. So much has happened since "Time for a New Deal," most of it centered around my obsession with schoolwork. Honestly, if I were to add up the total number of hours I have spent in the Warren Dining hall studying and working the sum would be... terrifying. On a bright note, however, I did get my job as a summer counselor at Camp Discovery! But I suppose you already knew that from my edits to "Nickeled and Dimed." Sometimes I forget how much of my life you're actually aware of...

But then there is so much you don't know! Did you hear that the Boston University Hockey team won the Division 1 National Championship? I bet you didn't- nor did you know that when the deciding goal was scored in overtime I went sprinting around my house at a pace that I haven't hit since my America East Championship meet. It was a great moment to be a Terrier, and I must admit I feel spoiled for being a part of such an amazing feat during my freshman year. Today is the Terrier Parade to celebrate the team's accomplishment and it's sure to be a thrilling experience. Maybe I'll blog about it later? We'll see...

Writing, writing, writing. Always such a gratifying activity once I sit down and actually pen-out a few ideas. Lately I've been wanting to interview people so badly and get back into my rhythm as a journalist. Would you believe I was sitting next to the hockey team's head coach the other day at T. Anthony's and somehow restrained myself from pulling out a pad of paper and pen? Ugh! My head was swirling with questions to ask about the championship and what it all meant for him and the team, but no... I stopped myself from journalistically geeking myself out. Waste! It would have made for a nice feature article blog, or at the very least an interesting Q+A transcript.

Oh well. All I want you to understand is that I miss you, but I'm not going to force posts simply to meet some sort of undefined deadline. When I write, I do it with reason; everything I say usually comes directly from intense feelings, beliefs or experiences. I don't put up with jotting down meaningless crap... it all has value and I don't like this sense of guilt I have for not having seen you for so long. I promise I will continue to write, post, blog, interview, scribble, jot, doodle, craft, create and express all the things that I find deserving of a high level of thought... it's just a matter of whether or not I pass it on to you, for all the public to read and analyze.

Don't miss me too much. You know that when I come around, my words will be worth the wait.

Your author,
Kedzie