College has changed my routine.  I’m awake until that point where very, very late blurs into very, very early.  I have to leave my room (no, my entire floor) to get work done.  I’ve learned to schedule in nap time.  I have fallen into the college-workload routine of no sleep and lots of work amid plenty of distractions.

Each week brings new challenges (dark tunnels) and new hopes of finishing the work so as to be able to relax again (light at the end).  But, college won’t allow that.  No, college likes meddling with you.  It likes to let you think that light exists, and then cut it off with more challenges (darkness) to look forward to a new, impossible light.  Did that make sense?  I hope so.  My mind tends to ramble at about 1am.  Green tea will soon solve that.

Thursday.  Until Thursday, I’m living in a perpetually dark tunnel.  And I have a feeling Thursday’s light will soon be squashed by Tuesday and Wednesday’s classes.  Thursday’s no biggie—just a 30 minute oral presentation by yours truly (and sola!), two papers, and about 200 pages of reading are due.  No big deal.  It would be better, if I didn’t like everyone on my floor.  If the sounds of their voices didn’t call me to yet another study break, and if they didn’t knock on my door to go get food or help them figure out their room’s best feng shui.  Then all this homework might get done.

No, I seem to wait until they all go to bed, and then get to it.  You should see me: I think steam comes shooting out of my ears from thinking so fast.  The night hours are my hours.  They’re my time to do homework, free of interruptions or temptations of better diversions.  Everyone’s busy slumbering away while I, with hot tea in my hands, read, write, and study, as content as I could be doing homework.  It’s great.

College changes a lot.  And bed time is no exception.  Clearly.