Ammunition From the Lead Pencil

It was a warzone yesterday. For 4 hours the debacle between student and midterm stretched, and ran the sun out of its place. The lead was flying. Each bullet ricocheted off the desks. The smell of burnt rubber pervaded the room. No better way to end the day than to shoot down some multiple choice question bubbles.

Ah, but now the battle is over. It’s time to recuperate.

To our avail, the Business Law midterm was an open-book exam. Actually, it was to some avail. I think that the book makes exams harder. In exchange for complete disclosure of information, we receive more difficult questions. And sometimes–even when I know the answer to a certain question–the presence of the textbook entices one to look. It also induces brain farts. When one gets into the mode of “Oh, I can just look in the book,” the thinking process gets hampered. I’ve never used the index of a book as extensively as I did last night. I quickened the aging process of the book twofold by wrinkling up a few pages. Thankfully, I left with no papercuts.

Right after 2 hours of mental punishment, Managerial Accounting came and extended the battle. When Bob–I don’t get to call many people Bob, and Bob is his name–divulged to us the items of the exams, my initial impression was that it was going to be easy. There would be 10 multiple choice questions and 2 problems that needed to be worked out. I imagined myself stepping out the door before 9 p.m. if I played it right. Right after I flipped over the cover page, I was floored. I was a deer in headlights, and my muzzle just got pummeled by the grill. The multiple choice questions weren’t as I expected and my note sheet didn’t have all the information I needed. Nevertheless, it wasn’t something that can hold me back from brushing off my coat of fur (uh, deer in headlights?).

But last night, by God’s grace, I was able to exit. Mentally bruised and fatigued, but out of enemy territory. As for the grades, I don’t know them yet. I can feel them somewhat, but I won’t know until later. To God the glory, desired outcome or not.

I had two cups of coffee last night. I was thinking, hey, why shouldn’t my mind be at the same level as it was in the morning. I downed a glass bottle of mocha frappuccino in the 4 hours. When I woke up this morning, my usual “good morning” greeting was instead a lazy, lethargic gah. Yes, gah. I crashed really hard last night.

When taking long road trips, my parents usually stock up on the energy drinks. The one who is driving is going to need them. My parents usually buy a few packs of mocha fraps, which is where I got it. But going to Tahoe, they bought a variety. And there’s still a lot more.

No, I won’t go crazy with them. I can’t even begin to imagine what I’d do with this much caffeine.