So, I'm currently studying for my comprehensive exams (yes, I know that I'm actually currently procrastinating from studying for my comprehensive exams by writing this post, but in general...I'm "studying"). Being required to read a book a day, which usually contains absurd amounts of inane and unnecessary "theory" (although, what is "theory," really?) has not only had both negative and positive effects on my life, but has prompted me to deconstruct the minutia of these effects to the point that they are simultaneously meaningless and hugely significant on a metaphysical level (to be clear, I employ the terms "I" and "me" merely as linguistic conventions because I do recognize that none of us has a coherent and independent subjectivity outside of the power relations that define every single aspect of our existence. I mean, obviously.). Anyway, if that last parenthetical note didn't send you running to the bathroom to vomit, and you want to feel better about your own life, feel free to continue reading about mine...
The Effects of Studying for Exams
1. Schedule
Because I do the same thing every goddamn day, I can't really tell one day from the next. On the negative side, this means that every day is basically a Monday for me. On the positive side, I can wake up on any ol' random Wednesday, declare it a Saturday, and spend all day in my pajamas in bed watching trashy t.v. online (to be fair, this happens on most Wednesdays....and Mondays).
2. Music
I have recently subscribed to over ten different music/pop culture blogs that I keep up with obsessively throughout the day. The positive side of this is that I know all of the new indie rock songs/videos/gossip as they come out! On the negative side, studying for exams has ruined my music listening experience. For example, I can no longer listen to the chorus of Florence and the Machine's "Shake It Up," which includes the lyrics, "I'm gonna drag that horse around," without thinking about the horse sacrifice described in the ṛg veda and/or the politics of allowing one's sacrificial horse to roam in neighboring lands. Or the fact that Lana Del Ray's song, "This Is What Makes Us Girls" prompts a soliloquy about how Judith Butler can assure us that there is most certainly not ONE thing that makes us all "girls" (including, as it turns out, the presence of a vagina) and how bell hooks has already explained to us that even if we could unite under the guise of being "girls," it sure as shit wouldn't be because of a "common oppression" rooted in the language of "victimhood" whereby we might find solidarity in our shared experience of self-sacrifice. Seriously, LDR, you middle-class, pretty, white lady...how can you be so obtuse?!? (oh, and yes, I did mean "soliloquy"...I am absolutely sleep deprived enough to say that shit out loud in a public place (one more reason that it is difficult to distinguish a grad student form a homeless schizophrenic as described in the previous post)).
3. Sleep
I can't make it through the night anymore without waking up in a cold sweat from a nightmare about fleeing from Foucault. I have, however, perfected the power nap.
4. Cleanliness
It's pretty easy to skip showers when you're just going to drive to the coffeeshop 3 minutes down the road and not see another human being you know for 72 hours at a time. I'm going to place that in the "negative" category because, while I think this is actually a perq of my lifestyle as a graduate student, it seems to be frowned upon within broader society (although, I have actually become a committed showerer because it puts off having to start my day by at least 10 more minutes). On the positive side, then, my apartment has never been this clean for this long. Tasks that I previously found cumbersome have taken on a whole new attraction. You'll find ne'er a dirty dish or article of clothing lying around, which I have successfully convinced myself is a sign of finally advancing into adulthood by refusing to admit that it is merely one more form of quasi-legitimate procrastination. (It probably doesn't hurt that I basically wear the same outfit every day and pretty much only eat PB&J sandwiches while hunched over the sink...but whatever).
5. Social life.
I have neither the time nor energy to see people. Negative for me, positive for them...
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The Effects of Studying for Exams
1. Schedule
Because I do the same thing every goddamn day, I can't really tell one day from the next. On the negative side, this means that every day is basically a Monday for me. On the positive side, I can wake up on any ol' random Wednesday, declare it a Saturday, and spend all day in my pajamas in bed watching trashy t.v. online (to be fair, this happens on most Wednesdays....and Mondays).
2. Music
I have recently subscribed to over ten different music/pop culture blogs that I keep up with obsessively throughout the day. The positive side of this is that I know all of the new indie rock songs/videos/gossip as they come out! On the negative side, studying for exams has ruined my music listening experience. For example, I can no longer listen to the chorus of Florence and the Machine's "Shake It Up," which includes the lyrics, "I'm gonna drag that horse around," without thinking about the horse sacrifice described in the ṛg veda and/or the politics of allowing one's sacrificial horse to roam in neighboring lands. Or the fact that Lana Del Ray's song, "This Is What Makes Us Girls" prompts a soliloquy about how Judith Butler can assure us that there is most certainly not ONE thing that makes us all "girls" (including, as it turns out, the presence of a vagina) and how bell hooks has already explained to us that even if we could unite under the guise of being "girls," it sure as shit wouldn't be because of a "common oppression" rooted in the language of "victimhood" whereby we might find solidarity in our shared experience of self-sacrifice. Seriously, LDR, you middle-class, pretty, white lady...how can you be so obtuse?!? (oh, and yes, I did mean "soliloquy"...I am absolutely sleep deprived enough to say that shit out loud in a public place (one more reason that it is difficult to distinguish a grad student form a homeless schizophrenic as described in the previous post)).
3. Sleep
I can't make it through the night anymore without waking up in a cold sweat from a nightmare about fleeing from Foucault. I have, however, perfected the power nap.
4. Cleanliness
It's pretty easy to skip showers when you're just going to drive to the coffeeshop 3 minutes down the road and not see another human being you know for 72 hours at a time. I'm going to place that in the "negative" category because, while I think this is actually a perq of my lifestyle as a graduate student, it seems to be frowned upon within broader society (although, I have actually become a committed showerer because it puts off having to start my day by at least 10 more minutes). On the positive side, then, my apartment has never been this clean for this long. Tasks that I previously found cumbersome have taken on a whole new attraction. You'll find ne'er a dirty dish or article of clothing lying around, which I have successfully convinced myself is a sign of finally advancing into adulthood by refusing to admit that it is merely one more form of quasi-legitimate procrastination. (It probably doesn't hurt that I basically wear the same outfit every day and pretty much only eat PB&J sandwiches while hunched over the sink...but whatever).
5. Social life.
I have neither the time nor energy to see people. Negative for me, positive for them...
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1 comment:
Have fun with the the studying, and also with the "studying." Just try not to hurt yourself. Moderation, moderation.
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