Procrastination

So it is 8:55 am on a freezing May morning and I am holed away in my student center trying to force myself to study for my last final exam of my college career. As you can see, that did not go very well as for the last 30 minutes I have been trolling the internet and playing peek-a-boo with a baby seated five feet away. Productivity fail.

Besides spending a good 2.5 hours copying and pasting Wikipedia entries into a somewhat intelligible study guide, I have not been able to muster the energy to actually look at it. Sure I have stared at it, thumbing thoughtlessly through the pages. AND I did sleep with it under my pillow, hoping that something would sink in. But actually studying? Eh, no.

Because whenever I do peek at it, and try to remember exactly why the Ayatollah Khomeini sucked, I get little visions in my head of summer. Little peaks at the party I will be attending and subsequently blacking out through later tonight. I think of August when I will be departing the United States for one final time (I'm sure I will come back to visit friends and family in the future- Also will be back when they release Dirty Dancing 3, obviously). 

It's all enough to make a girl just say "F- it" and troll Youtube looking for Mexican-Libyan love ballads (oh yes, they do exist). So thanks for allowing me my little bit of procrastination. I do have a final in one hour and then another one tonight at 7:40pm so hopefully between that time, I do manage to figure out some of this nonsense- well, enough to let me pass for the semester. 

The Great Adderall Debate

While riding the elevator this afternoon, I heard a conversation that I have heard dozens of times in my history as a student. It went a little something like this:

Bro 1: Sorry I am so jittery, man.

Bro 2: No worries, bro. It's finals. Shit happens.

Bro 1: Seriously, I haven't slept in 2 days.

Bro 2: That's rough man.

Bro 1: Yeah, I know but I've taken like 2 Adderalls in the last hour so I'll just stay up tonight and study. 

Bro 2: Nice bro.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at this idiotic conversation. The worst part about this, is that I have heard this conversation so many times. I hear people talking about it literally all the time. Why take the time to prepare and study for a test properly when you can just take an Adderall the night before? 

There is a lot of debate about whether or not popping an Adderall and subsequently putting your brain on overdrive constitutes as cheating. Many universities, such as Wesleyan University have included the unprescribed using of Adderall in their code of student conduct. 

I also have wondered many times about Adderall. There have definitely been some situations in which I wished I could just stay up the whole night and finish off a paper or cram for a test. But I also would never let it get to that point. I have never put off a 20 page paper so that I only had 30 hours to do it. I physically have never wanted to put that pressure on myself, and I honestly do not understand why others do that.

Now don't get me wrong. I procrastinate. I put things off. I prefer a two-hour episode of The Biggest Loser over some reading for a class. But, I know how to time-manage and I make sure that I get my work done, and I am proud when it is done because I know that I worked hard and worked honestly for it.

I am also a working student. I work two jobs, three days a week from 8:30-5:30pm. I am in class two days a week from 9:30AM to 9:4PM non-stop. I also loosely observe Friday night Shabbat and generally do not do work on Fridays or Saturdays and I still manage to (pardon my language) get my shit done. 

As a full-time student and worker, I have little patience for people who resort to paying $10 to stay up all night and finish off a paper that I had spent hours working on for the past 2 weeks. I also get really annoyed when I hear people walking into a test talking about how they had been up for 18 hours studying for this test and my curve gets thrown off.

Obviously I cannot control what people choose to do. And at the end of the day, I am not all that bothered about it. You want to mess with your body and potentially damage it in order to study for a test that you could have prepared for a week ago? Go for it. And at the end of the day, I am not the one being cheated: they are. They are cheating themselves by not taking the time to actually properly learn the material and benefit from it. I think the part that bothers me the most is that I have to hear this nonsense. I wish I could just live in my little world with the unicorns and the glitter where people don't need drugs to study and cupcakes really do have zero calories.

If you want to read a great article about Adderall and the business of it on campus, I recommend this article from the Yale Daily News. 

Party in the USA

Last day, while I was laying in bed in my pajamas and watching The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants when I saw on my Twitter newsfeed that Obama was set to make an important decision at 10:30. Naturally, I flipped over to CNN and Wolf Blitzer was also sitting around checking his own Twitter to try and figure out what was going on. My roommate and I were betting that it was Libya, especially with all the news of NATO bombing and killing the son of Qadafi. As the minutes ticked on, however, Twitter started exploding about the death of Osama. 

Another friend of mine online was also closely following it. Well let's face it, I go to GW- everyone was closely watching it. And as time kept passing and Wolf kept getting those annoying little 'dings' on his Blackberry, I looked at my roommate and said "I kind of really want to go to the White House right now". We decided that we could always watch the speech later and then we booked it to the White House.

Spiderman saving the day

As we step out of the elevator of our dorm, I hear the "Team America" theme song blasting in the streets and college kids running around with flags tied to the their back. We decide that it's only a couple of blocks away so we are going to just run there. So we start sprinting down the streets and you can kind of feel this amazing energy in the city. 

When we got to the White House, there were only about 50 people there. Within minutes, there were hundreds and within the hour- thousands. People were screaming, singing everything from "God Bless America" to "We are the Champions". The air was electric. I think the last time I felt anything even similar to that was in 2009 with Obama's inauguration. And yet, this was still different. It felt like we were all letting out a huge, collective sigh of relief. 

Everyone outside of the White House last night were college students. That meant we grew up in an era before we were told that we had to be afraid. A time before when we received little airplane wings from pilots and weren't concerned about which color threat level we were in. We are a lucky generation in that we got to straddle both sides of a very different America: one that was blissfully unaware and protected and one that has become scared to a point of paranoia. We were kids when our teachers collected us in school gymnasiums and explained to us in the simplest words possible on how we had been attacked and thousands of our fellow citizens had died. We were young when it happened, but we still all remember that day. Where we were. What we felt. The day after. The first time we felt it was okay to laugh.

I don't really know who keeps a skintight costume of an
American flag handy, but I'm glad he does. He stole
the show.

That is why I think the demonstrations outside the White House were so celebratory. It was not about the death of a single man, a man who is responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people. It was more about us reclaiming an aspect of ourselves that was taken away from us: our belief in our country again as that infallible, indestructible protector. We ran through the streets, we honked our car horns, we sang sons and cheered "Cancel finals!" We were kids again. We weren't scared about terrorists, we weren't thinking about our tense bipartisan politics or the the complexities of foreign affairs- we were just kids hanging off of trees and playing in the streets. It was one of the most beautiful things I think I have seen in this country, and I am so incredibly proud I was able to be there to witness it.

There is No Purpose or Anything Interesting in this Entry

So I feel like when I usually sit down to write a blog, I usually have a purpose in writing it or a topic I wish to expand upon because A) I have no one to physically talk to or B) Everyone I know is sick of hearing me talk (most likely scenario). 

But today, I have absolutely nothing extraordinary to contribute to the world- but I guess that is generally the purpose of a blog. You just type words, hit "Publish" and your revelations regarding Doritos and cream cheese (don't knock it til you try it- preferably with a few drinks in you first).

I think it is a combination of me being alone in a law office and also procrastinating finishing my last paper ever for university that has lead me to becoming inspired to write... about nothing.

Regrettably, I also went out to McFadden's last night which is the cheesy college bar on campus. A friend was having a happy hour and naturally it lead to a group of about ten of us pounding back $2 drinks until that group of ten slowly shrunk until it was just me and my vodka cranberry. Needless to say, waking up this morning was... interesting. I popped 3 advil, downed an egg and cheese sandwich from Brueggers and prayed that I would make it through til 5:30. It's only 9:22 am and I can already see how this day is going to be a struggle.

At least I have lunch with a friend at 1 to look forward to. I am also thinking of trying to rally for another Happy Hour after work but I may need to hang my head in shame and call it a night. But, knowing me, Happy Hour trumps everything. And I was apparently so fond of yelling last night, "We're so young! We have to enjoy EVERY minute!" Oh yeah, I was that girl.

I also found out that my two Chilean BAFs (best amigos forever) are going to be leaving in about 10 days. Which makes me incredibly sad. This is the problem with international friends- eventually they (or you) return back home. And yet, I still keep making friends with people from countries I could not find in any Sporcle game (I generally fail at any sort of geography. The difference between my right and left is still somewhat challenging for me). It's always been a sort of a joke with my friends of how I am subconsciously drawn to people from different countries. It's a blessing a curse.

The one thing that really annoys me about having non-American friends (and let's face it, about 90% of my friends are non-American) is that the 'compliment' "You don't act like an American". OK, I get it: everyone in the world hates us. We're neo-colonialist capitalistic bastards- I've heard it all. But at the end of the day, I was still born in this country and I am still proud of it.

I grew up a first generation American on my father's side. I remember before he got his green card, my brother and I would threaten that we had INS on speed dial if we ever got mad at him. I remember him struggling with his English and getting so offended when people wouldn't be able to understand him. Yet, he loves being American. He chased down his American dream and accomplished so many amazing things.  He is still a Moroccan, French and Israeli- but he is also proud of his American identity. And I am too. There are definitely times that I get annoyed with this country and admittedly, I do not plan on living here in the future, I am proud that I grew up in such an amazing country.

End rant. 

Barcelona, Burritos and Beer

So today is a really integral match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Whenever these two rivals play each other, the match is referred to as "El Clásico". And today is another match between them for the UEFA Semi-Finals. Sadly, Barca lost last week to Real and subsequently lost the Copa del Rey cup (which ironically was dropped by Real Player Sergio Ramos.. which in my humble opinion is basically a sign that God had really wanted Barcelona to take home the cup). So the heat between these two players is going to be especially tense. Which is why I had to send an e-mail out on Sunday to my internship explaining that I had to leave early, which my roommate so subtly and tactfully suggested was a really dumb idea. 

Okay, firstly internships are unpaid. Hence, I am not receiving wages for the labor which I am performing (I still cannot really understand exactly why I am doing this to myself) so if I need want to leave work early to watch a match, I should be able to... Right? Secondly, this is a BFD, and I am a senior and my priorities pretty much lie with Barcelona, burritos and beer (not necessarily in that order). I have the really obnoxious (not for me, but pretty much for everyone else around me) of doing the whole I'mjustgonnadowhatevermakesmehappyandscrewtherest kind of mentality, so soccer will trump work any day of the week (especially Monday through Friday).

But for all of the 2.5 Americans that actually do care about soccer, watching Barca play Real is like watching a Beyonce and Christina Aguilera diva-off. You have two amazing teams, with incredibly talented footballers playing with Spanish pasión. It is also a great chance to see two immensely talented players duel off: Barca's Lionel Messi and Real's Cristiano Ronaldo. 

[Source]

These two players are insanely, ridiculously good. The only difference is is that Messi represents all that is good and pure in the world and Ronaldo is the devil. Although they are really both the stars of the team, I think that a lot of the time the focus of the game turns into a rivalry simply between these two players and each match is really just between Ronaldo and Messi. There are, however, so many other amazing footballers and I think today is going to really prove how talented Barcelona is as a team. 

I actually wrote this the night before while watching The Daily Show so I have yet to actually know who has won the match. So... hopefully it is Barca because otherwise it's going to be a pretty depressing day. Especially since after Barca lost last week, I submerged myself in shots of tequila and red wine. 

Weekend Round Up

So this weekend was incredible. Friday was really blegh- work dragged on and on but then Friday my roommate and I ordered in Chinese food and watched T.V. I love my bumming around on Friday night routine.

Saturday we got to sleep in and then we headed to Georgetown for this French fair that we thought was happening except it was actually for the weekend of the 28th. My bad. But we improvised by buying a baguette and some fromage and pate and stuffing ourselves with that. We then ambled around Georgetown and did what we do best: shop and kill time. 

The rest of the day was spent smoking nargila outside and then napping. Finally we managed to get ourselves dressed to head over to our friend Agustin's house for his birthday. And by Agustin's house, I mean his house/the Chilean embassy (his father is the ambassador). There is just something so crazy about slamming back tequila shots next to art that costs more than my entire college education and my parent's house's mortgage put together. 

The party was so much fun and we ended up staying there til about 5. There was considerably less salsa dancing and a much higher percentage of coupling off. I swear the heat brings out our wild sides. We then walked back with our friends, with my friend Simon slung on my arm as he sang nonstop Spanish songs. Then there was the spontaneous poptarts purchase at Walgreens followed by watching the sun rise as we meandered back to campus where I fell asleep in one of those amazing drunken stupors.

2:00pm rolled around and I got woken up with a call by Simon wanting lunch. Again managed to dress myself and was so impressed with the amazing 80 degree weather (good job DC!) We headed over to Dupont Circle where we grabbed burgers and then sat in the circle. Jenn and I then put on an impromptu Easter egg hunt for Pablo, who we knew was a little homesick for Chile. It was hilarious to watch him 'hunt' for eggs around Dupont and then subsequently watch Simon destroy them. We then got coffee at illy (seriously the best coffee in the city) and head back to campus where I proceeded to take yet another nap.

Again managed to get up around 8:00 and we head over to Pablo and Simon's where we get the brilliant idea to watch Paranormal Activity. Now, I first saw this film a year ago when I was studying in Tel Aviv, Israel. I watched it with my roommate and we then got the absolutely brilliant idea (are you beginning to see the pattern of how many brilliant ideas I have?) to convince my other roommate (an incredibly sweet, mildly naive and ridiculously gullible Texan) that she is being haunted. We keep this act up for a week- moving doors around, leaving faucets running, slamming windows... the whole shebang. So, I thought I had this movie in the bag; there would be no way I would be scared. Wrong. I could not stop screaming. 

First of all, the four of us were all piled up on one big bed. Secondly it was insanely hot in their room (we discovered yesterday it was because they have had the heat on- they never knew that they had the option to turn it off. Boys) so we were all really scared, holding on to each other, cramped in a small bed and really hot and sweaty. And thirdly- and best of all- it was storming in DC that night. I'm talking thunder, rain and lightening- it was the perfect night to watch a scary movie.

The best part, though, was watching Simon freak out and yelling out every single curse word in Spanish involving every single kind of body part. It was one of those priceless, Hallmark kind of moments. 

Last night, I had another brilliant idea to get everyone back together to watch the sequel. So naturally we all pile back into bed and start watching the second one, except the internet kept dying out so the movie would keep stopping in the scariest of moments so that the movie ended up being some bizarre form of psychological torture. The third one comes out in June and I am planning on reuniting us all in Chile to watch it.

So that was the weekend. It passed by way too fast and thanks to the 500 pictures that Simon took at the party, I will soon be able to update this post with some visual evidence of some of the antics of that night (people being thrown in pool, me fighting someone (by fight, I mean gently shove but I was convinced I was a total badass) and generally awkward run-ins with a boy who thought it was a good idea to bootytext me (seriously- don't even try it, I will mock you mercilessly in a public arena). 

I also realize how incredibly long this is... so feel free to just post a "TLDR" in the comments and instead tell me about your weekend? Sharing is caring. 

Why I Don't Care about the Royal Wedding

Everyone is talking about the Royal Wedding. It's trending on Twitter, there's a Lifetime movie about it, you can even buy toilet seat souvenirs of the soon-to-be-newlyweds. It is literally inescapable. With an estimated 2 billion people expected to tune into the wedding next week, it is a subject that is one everyone's minds. Unfortunately I have not passed a single day this month without hearing something about this damn couple. And that is why I have decided to compose a little list of why I personally do not give a damn about the royal wedding.