Pardon the Interruption

Monsters, Monsters Everywhere

If you walked onto the campus of Furman University anytime during the last week, you would find a very quiet, peaceful atmosphere. You might see a few people walking from their dorms to the library or to the student center, but chances are, your only companions would be the crisp, cold air, and a plethora of squirrels digging and rummaging on the ground (looking for acorns, I assume).

However, just like a sleepy New England coastal town in a Steven King novel, things are not always as they seem. The truth of the matter is, a number of epic battles rage on during exam time. Everyone has their monsters; and they always seem to crawl out from under the bed during this blessed season.

My week has been nothing but monsters. Not the PG-13 kind, but the less deadly, PG kind that make a good story in the end.

First off, on Friday, I battled for the last time a monster that has plagued me all semester long. From the start of classes, I have suffered from some of the most unfortunate scheduling possible--either that, or my professors have teamed up in some cruel scheme to destroy me once and for all (They've all treated me kindly enough...was it a cover up?). My hardest class, by a long shot, has been Economics. I'm not an Economist, and the language of numbers, for me, is slightly more complicated than some dialect of ancient Elvish that Tolkien concoted for The Lord of the Rings. Still, I'm a problem-solver, and I've survived my distaste for math and statistics and graphs in the past.

So the semester unfolded as follows: My first major economics test fell 5 minutes after my first major Paul test. My second major economics test fell on the same day as a Physics test. My Economics term paper was due the same day as my Paul term paper (which was also the same day as yet another Physics test). And finally, Friday--the first day of exams--the scheduling monster struck yet again, with Economics and Physics stepping up to the plate. In all, I've taken 2 tests this term that HAVEN'T fallen on the same day as another test or major grade. This monster dealt its blows through lower grades than expected this term, but I claim victory through my ability to maintain sanity and optimism.

Also during the last week, I saw The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and for the hundredth time watched both The Two Towers and The Return of the King. And those all have monsters in them. So they apply. Moving on...

Friday night after my exams, I fell victim to some sort of virus. Fever, headache, drainage, sore throat, upset stomach...a lovely sort of experience. This was especially inconvenient, because the next morning, I was supposed to be on a bus to head for Boone, North Carolina. And in Boone, the monsters are plentiful.

I have spent far too much time on this blog detailing the monsters that reside in Boone. When the Furman Fighting Football Paladins defeated Appalachian State in Greenville this October, I thought that those monsters had been slain. But Saturday I learned that the Appalachian State football team is not the monster; Boone is the monster. The thousands of drunk App students bent making life a living hell for anyone associated with Furman are the monsters. The spot on the left hashmark, just shy of the south endzone, where everything has gone wrong for the last 5 years, is the monster. It was one of those nightmarish tales, where the bad guys crush hope with defeat at the last possible second, and no condolence could be found anywhere for miles. As I fought sickness and disappointment on the winding, mountainous, 5-hour bus trip home, I promised myself that I would avoid Boone for as along as possible.

I sit here now at the end of the this admittedly over-the-top drama. I'm starting to feel better, I've gotten over the loss, and I only have one exam left, which will hopefully be bearable. The horror movie is nearing the end credits. Let's just hope they don't make a crappy sequel.

posted by Taylor @ 9:05 AM