Cheers & Jeers

Tom Vazquez

More stories from Tom Vazquez

Cheers & Jeers
February 11, 2016
Cheers & Jeers

Well it’s only week four, and this semester is already kicking my ass. I’m completely exhausted, terribly sick, and I am more behind on homework and other responsibilities than I’d like to admit. All I want to do is kick back with a couple of friends, watch Netflix, and eat an entire fridge-worth of good food. But I can’t, because I have absolutely no time. On top of that the weather is still ridiculously disgusting. Someone please remind me why I chose to go to school in Syracuse?

 

1 Cheer – Having a working computer

People don’t appreciate technology enough.

We use it, we enjoy it, we even depend on it, but we don’t realize how much easier it makes our lives until it’s broken or lost. I don’t know what I would do without my computer. I use it for so many things it almost feels like an extra appendage (an oddly shaped mechanical one). Without my Mac how would I listen to iTunes? Where would I go to write my papers? Would I ever be able to clear notifications on Facebook? I guess I’d have to start using a public computer in the library. No thanks.

 

2 Cheers – Animated Movies

I’d like to start this by affirming the fact that, yes I am an adult. However, just like all of the kids in my mom’s pre-k class, I love a good animated movie. It feels good to get away – far away – from reality for a while and watch something with a guaranteed happy ending. Next on my list to watch is Big Hero 6. Who knew robots could be so adorable?

 

3 Cheers – Supportive friends and faculty

As rough as the first few weeks of this semester have been, I’m doing pretty well thanks to the support of the people closest to me. It’s all of the little things they do that make a big difference, like letting me borrow a laptop charger or making me instant Mac and cheese in their dorm room microwave. Not to mention all of the kindness coming from my professors, giving even the turns to extensions helps a lot. I hate to admit how much of a mess I am, I’m sure anyone would, but thanks to all the little things these people do, I’m a little less of a mess. I’m sure we all benefit from this kind of support, that’s why we chose a community like Le Moyne.

 

1 Jeer – Canvas deadlines

Canvas can be useful for somethings, but there’s a lot about it that irritates me, especially the deadlines for electronic assignment submissions. If your paper is due at 11:59pm doesn’t that basically mean midnight to you? But if you turn it in at 12:00am these big red letters appear next your your submission that say LATE. Really Canvas? Really? You can’t give me the one minute to figure my stuff out? I already feel bad about working on the assignment up until the moment it’s due. I know I procrastinated. I know I’m a terrible, worthless, unintelligent person. I don’t need you to remind me.

 

2 Jeers – The cost of the cafeteria

I’m a commuter, and I often find myself on campus for at least 2 meals of the day. So naturally I want to go to the dining hall with the rest of my friends who have meal plans. The problem is that it costs upwards of ten dollars to get in, which I think is insane. Unless the vegetables are hand picked from a garden outside and the turkey was hunted and killed in the forest behind the rugby field, there’s no reason my one sandwich and glass of ice water should cost that much. The prices discourage me from going at all, so I end up eating a half-warmed, all stale bagel from Dunkin Donuts in the plaza, and they don’t even spread the cream cheese for you.

 

3 Jeers – Terrible time management

We all procrastinate, it’s true. No one is perfect and no one is a machine cranking out papers and homeworker assignments for fun, but I have a serious problem. Not only do I overload myself with coursework, but I put too many extra curriculars on my plate. I just don’t know how to say no, or to pick and choose what I want to spend my time doing. I end up stretching myself in all of these different directions and I’m not able to adequately get any of my work done. I mean, I finish it, but it’s not good. I’m a junior in college, when will I learn how to manage my time? I really hope I’m not the only one who feels this way, because I think it’s time to start a support group.