Paper Writing Process

TragicPixie · Post by **TragicPixie** » Mon May 08, 2006 1:35 am

My paper writing process - I probably shouldn't put this in the welcome-frosh edition of the news paper

1. Take a nap - you cannot write a good paper (this is not true for novels) without enough sleep.

2. Take an asprin. Keep the bottle on hand, just in case.

3. Procrastinate a little. Look at the internet.

4. Eat dinner - more productive if you eat out.

5. Go to store to get something random: like printer ink. Or food.

6. Go get food to eat. Eat a little more.

7. Open assignment and look at it. Read instructions carefully. All of them. Twice. Think.

8. Open new Word doctument.

9. Get beer. Open beer. Drink.

10. look at empty document: read instructions.

11. Write papagraph: drink.

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat May 13, 2006 2:49 am

I gotta say, I'm really glad you posted this because I think this whole phenomenon doesn't get talked or written about nearly enough. I've gotten really used to doing this kind of thing and even though it sounds funny when you write it out, it really is a serious part of life when you're in school. I can't drink and write papers at the same time though, not at all. I mean, I won't even let myself *start* drinking if I know there's a paper I *have* to get done the next day and can't put off any longer.

Yeah, I remember when I used to live in my old house before I moved here, I remember my weekends would consist of getting up the next morning/day after a night of drinking, then going downstairs to eat a bowl of cereal, then reading the newspaper was a good way to procrastinate. It's amazing how interesting the fucking food and recipe section of the paper starts to look when it's fucking 2 pm and you've read the rest of the newspaper and haven't even started on homework yet! And yeah, going to the store, that's good too. You know, you'll remember something you really need (or really want) and it's suddenly so important that you have to go right then. The only thing you didn't mention that has worked for me is the idea of cleaning. Or doing laundry, something like that. Something you can justify as a necessity, that must be done NOW before you get to work.
Hahahaha. Or the cat...the cat needs to be brushed/de-fleaed/given some love. What else? Oh...and by then I'll remember some band/song/album/label I was thinking of the other day. I'll decide I really need to research that on the internet right now before I get to the homework..

hahahahaha

love ya Pixie - I'd never really had the pleasure of reading or writing about this phenomenon before this way. It's nice.

TragicPixie · Post by **TragicPixie** » Sat May 13, 2006 5:17 am

mark this has been the absolute worst day ever...
so I'm moving and I JUST got a pack up my stuff and guess what happens? The phone rings. I have to work ANOTHER desk today.
So I don't get to start packing until five... and my friend is coming to move me at eight. In the past three days I've had MAYBE eight hours of sleep. So I packup a bag of 80% of my clothes - all my favourite clothes and underwear, UFO pants...

I then set this, two shelves and some stuff outside in the hall for a max of two hours - tho' I odn' tsee how this long is even possible. When I get back guess what's missing? My fucking bag. That packed bag of pretty much MOST OF MY CLOTHES.
It's fucking gone.

Then my RA doesn't really do anything about it.

There's a girl moving across the hall with like six fucking guys taking stuff. I think she took my bag (by mistake) so my RA calls her. My RA isn't really authroitative or anythign and she says she doesn't have it. Doesn't even give the girl my number or ask her to take a second look. Everyone tells me now that there's nothing they can do - that people have been throwing things awya in the hallway all evening.

WTF?

I'm at the desk but I think I@m going to cry ... So much for sleeping tonight. I think I'll sit and drink and cry.

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat May 13, 2006 5:31 am

Awwwwww....Pixie....the death of material posessions is hard. I've been there. My mother threw away most everything I had left from the first 25 years of my life. So be glad your mother didn't do it, I guess. I bet that isn't much consolation now, though.

You must get some sleep soon. All this will pass. Then you'll be a dry eyed flower in the sun and I'll still love you.

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat May 13, 2006 5:33 am

Fuck I put the frozen berries in the microwave too long. Now I have hot berries. Too hot to eat. Oh well.

I've only had three glasses of wine tonight. Which has actually been great. I haven't bought more or opened my other bottles which I'm happy about.

Fuck you'll probably call me soon. I better shut up and get off the damn internet already.

TragicPixie · Post by **TragicPixie** » Sat May 13, 2006 5:35 am

but marky... I NEED my underwear. and my phat pants. because ... well ... I'm fat and theyr'e all that fits.
What will I wear to this elusive summer job when I get one if I only have one t-shirt left - and it's a cocopuffs shirt and no money.

and I'm at the desk 'til three. So after that I'll end up in the Angry-Packing. At least I will be packed.

I seriously wonder if I don't get my things back if I can sue for negelgence. I mean - they have now responded improperly to theft.

TragicPixie · Post by **TragicPixie** » Sat May 13, 2006 5:36 am

haha I can if you want ... only movement in the house is my coworkers moving out .... and dropping shit. Watching them attempt to move drunk/stoned is interesting

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat May 13, 2006 5:36 am

won't your parents buy you new clothes?

TragicPixie · Post by **TragicPixie** » Sat May 13, 2006 5:43 am

No. Please - why would they do something to help me out? Seriously though they won't because the clothes I wear/buy they don't like OR are "expensive" (okay they're really not, but they aren't from Walmart or something equally dirt cheap and shite quality either) and so they won't.
My wardrobe is one of the more costly things I own, I think it even trumphs my records. I spend a lot of money on unusual items (like I collect care bears things, 90% of my care bears clothing was in that bag) and tend to shop at artsy designer places like Urban Outfiters... which means my wardrobe expands slowly getting a piece or two every three to six months.

My phat pants alone were $60. Even if I didn't order them offline, because I could get them cheaper in Chi-town, it would involve the cost of driving from St. Louis to Chicago. Which is the problem with a lot of my wardrobe... tho' we now have an Urban Outfitters at the posh mall.
And all the clothes I bought in Toronto and the UK ....
and I order a lot of handmade stuff offline (like my new Rainbow Brite bag...) which isn't really cheap but is unusual so I like it and think it's worth it.

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat May 13, 2006 5:51 am

But there is only what's ahead of you now, Pixie. These things aren't coming back. You must look ahead. I remember when someone I cared a lot about stole a buttload of CD's from me AND my drum machine and bass guitar and fled to another state. The grief only lasts for so long and then you must go on.

TragicPixie · Post by **TragicPixie** » Sat May 13, 2006 6:01 am

please - when I have to wash these panties again to wear tomorrow grief will have turned to rage and a threat to sue and a demand to see the head of housing and res life and after that the president of the university. I am seriously a hair away from transfering and demanding my tutition back:
My original major, there were no classes for offered for the upcoming fall semster to count towards my degree.
I ended up taking a class in my major's department all semster and it didn't count towards my English degree AT ALL. It only counted as a general elective.
Second, no one in the entire fucking english department could tell me what classes did count.
Thrid, I could not get my PIN number to register for classes - and thus had to register late when my advisor got off her candyass to give me my pin and then tell me that she didn't know what was counting for sure.

So I changed my major but still I spent two years being screwed by this university at $26,550 a *semster* no - that's not my year, that's a semster folks. Second that is not including the outrageous room and board fee.
For a room that's shower has a crack in it, no heat in the bathroom and a window that doesn't close so there's been a draft all year, a door that sticks and makes it difficult for me get out of my room and is fuckin' LOUD (which caused problems when I had a roommate) and a room that was absolutely FILTHY (as in there was serious grime and sticky stuff on the floor) when I moved in.
And I paid $1,500 a semster for a food plan where Splenda is used in almost everything, unless it has meat (which I don't eat) ... so I am left to the other food options which are KFC, Pizza Hut, a burger place, a gross mexican place/bar, and subway. Only one of these places has food I can actually stomach and usually by the end of the week subway is out of most ingredients.
I pay $50 in random activies fees, $20 something for a year book (which I do not necessarily recieve unless I happen to pass the group handing them out in the quad on the days that they choose to... so two days a year) and now will pay another $100 to upgrade a gym I don't even use

- not to mention my dorm costs extra because there were supposed to be kitchens: the "kitchens" were downgraded from what was there last year to a fridge, a kitchen sink, and a microwave. And I also paid extra to use a workout room in my dorm - which did not appear until after Easter but I was definately charged for first semster.

Urgh.... *fumes fumes; attempts not to cry*

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat May 13, 2006 6:08 am

Ha ha! Yeah! Read 'em the riot act!

I got all pissed off when this lady wrote me a letter telling me I needed another type of class before I could graduate. I got so incensed over this. I pointed out to her in no uncertain terms that I already had this piece of paper saying I had been approved to substitute an earlier transfer class I'd had for this requirement and I quoted the damn catalogue to prove that this meant the requirement. And it had been two years since I'd been issued this piece of paper! Two years! I said how long does it take to get that shit in your computer!? I'm telling you, the bureauocracy of schools can get to you. I've seen some pretty ridiculous things happen, even in the small building of my particular branch of the school.

TragicPixie · Post by **TragicPixie** » Sat May 13, 2006 6:17 am

my new advisor kicks ass. She's a nice lady - but started taking names of people in the English department.

But I'll still transfer if someone doesn't do something about my stuff.
I mean hell - I have shady enough friends that their response to everything (but it's really cute and funny) is "do you want me to break their knees?" But I am quite sure I can get the university in a lot of trouble for breaking privacy laws anyway. Here's the deal:
We are a private university. As such (and really at most unis) you sign away your rights to privacy and free speach, etc. at the door. So do your parents. Your parents and you agree to everything in the contract... so for me this means I agreed to have my privacy invaded. HOWEVER there are lines the uni can't cross: like your dorm room. Everything in your dorm room is your property just like it's your parents house. not even the head of your building can enter your dorm room without you being there, not even if you say it's okay. You or your roommate has to be present and if they want to search your things, you have to be there not your roomie.

Okay so this new swipe security system: When you bring guests into the building you have to sign them in. And this is an important and pretty standard procedure ya know?
Okay well this is the thing: you friends did not sign a contract saying they gave up THEIR right to privacy. So to have it recorded who they were and when they were in our building is one thing but this system has the deskworker enter in their full name, driver liscence number, home address, gender ,eye color etc. scan their liscene or state, College, ID and take their picutre.
This is okay if you have professionals... well not okay, still shady and questionable if they have the right to that information but if you have student workers doing this that IS illegal. I mean, that means I as a student of the university now have all this information about the parent, friends, etc of everyone in the building that's walked thru the doors in the last 24 hours. And who knows what I could do with this information.

Not to mention anyone with half a brain and knowledge about networks could easily hack into this system and steal the information...