Nostalgia

It seems like only yesterday, when I would stay up all night, writing madly through the wee hours in an effort to make a morning deadline, and in the process consuming strong (but not particularly good) coffee, devouring sugary food (mmmm Milky Way!) and then walking around like a zombie through the day because of sleep deprivation, to the point where I'd start wondering why random people were smiling and talking to me like they knew me, until I realized that they did know me, but I'd forgotten because I was so tired.

Oh wait, that was yesterday.

The other night I had a flashback to my college years, as I worked to make a last-minute newspaper deadline. Originally the deadline was slated for next week, but about two hours before I had to go to my other job, I got a call from one of my editors, who asked if by any chance I just might be able to get the story (which I hadn't started writing yet) done by 10am on Wednesday morning, to make this week's edition of the paper. I looked at the clock and did some quick calculations: it was already Tuesday; I was going to be at work from 1:45-10:30pm; the article was supposed to be nearly 1000 words and I had yet to interview most of the people I was supposed to interview (at least I had interviewed the main guy! whew!). Then I answered with every ounce of journalistic ambition that I posses:

"Yeah, hmmm, I don't know about that."

Well, to my credit, I unearthed a level of determined go-get-em-tigressness that I didn't even know I possessed, and after I got off work that night, I came home and approached the task before me just as I would have when I was still in school: I procrastinated for two hours, then I put on a pot of coffee (without measuring the coffee--I think I put in enough for about 3 pots), cracked my knuckles ( actually I am lying about that, I hate cracking knuckles), and got to work. (I also had a Milky Way. Sugar is very important for late-night writing.)

And, ta-da, I made my deadline! With time to spare, too--finished at 8am! I'd also say I got the equivalent of an 'A+', when I found out this morning that I'd gotten the cover story slot. Yee-ha!

Well, it's nice to know I haven't changed all that much since college. Or...maybe it isn't. Maybe I should have changed, and it's actually a terrible shame that I'm much the same. Hmm. Well, I don't know what I'm talking about, because I think I killed some brain cells with all the bad coffee and sleep deprivation, so I'm going to go now, if you don't mind.

Until next time, here is the quote of the day, courtesy of Happy Gilmore, which I am half-watching at the moment (see what I mean about dead brain cells!):

"What, friends listen to "Endless Love" in the dark!"

(Did I use a lot of parentheses in this post, or is it just me?)