Is That a Train Whistle?

First, let me just say a few quick birthdays:

Happy Birthday to Katie Sullivan.

Happy Re-Birthday to Shelley.

Happy Birth Anniversary to Thelonious Monk.

With all that out of the way, the quick update is that I'm now more than 1/3 of the way through my first semester of Graduate study at Columbia University.  As a result, I'm just getting comfortably with my weekly reading requirements, only to now be confronted with the looming aspect of mid-terms.

Ok, I'm in academia, so paper writing, etc. is part and parcel.  What has me on edge is actually how not-on-edge I am.  With about 3 weeks before my first mid-term is due, I'm watching most of my classmates start to freakout about whether or not the topic they've chosen (with prof. oversight) is appropriately broad/narrow.  If they have enough research leads, or if they need to go dig more.  How they will possibly be able to slim the final draft down to a mere 10 pages...

In short, they're freaking out, and I'm not.  Why am I not?  Is it perhaps because, as a slightly older student with some real world experience I've been able to more accurately assess the situation and plan accordingly?  Or is this really a horrifying, brain-melting process that I'm just not aware of yet?  Am I standing on a train track and wondering why everyone else is running the opposite way?

Mid-Terms will be a good trial - I only have 2 of them - for my eventual 4 term papers.  No finals, no tests, no quizes, and no homework.  The days of small, safe grading are well past.

So that's what's on my mind with a full working-weekend ahead.

Hope you're all weathering this world-wide financial crisis, by the way.  Sure, everybody else is freaking out, but I'm sure your accounts will be fine.  That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Until I can't.

Weber

::(Lame) Texpatriot