Dunce Cap

Imagine me up at the front of a classroom with a big piece of white chalk in hand.

I will not start writing my stories the night before they are due. I will not start writing my stories the night before they are due. I will not start writing my stories the night before they are due. I will not start writing my stories the night before they are due.

Last night I pulled my first (and I sincerely hope my last) j-school all-nighter. I’d been having trouble with our first neighborhood story assignment – a portrait of a block – and, against my instincts and better judgment, I did not start writing the piece until about midnight last night. I have a bit of a defense, which is that my left arm had really been hurting for the previous several days, and I had been trying to give it a rest, especially after the painful (in every respect) drill we did in RWI on Monday.

The good news is that I finished the piece and even had plenty of time to polish it this morning (after the oh-so-refreshing catnap I took from 6:00-7:00AM). And, for once, I did not come in substantially under the word length. (Instead, I came in substantially over. But hey, my average is probably dead on, right?) And while I’m not exactly proud of the piece, I’m not ashamed of it either.

Oh, and for some strange reason, my arm actually feels better today, even after all that typing. (Yes, yes, I’m still going to the physical therapist tomorrow. I’m not taking any chances. I want to get off the DL as soon as possible.)

And now, dear readers, I am going to reacquaint myself with my bed.

(And yes, I still plan to catch up on the missed entries of the past week. Keep on scrolling!)

Quote of the day:

Don’t be afraid of anything. --Sandy Padwe