My winter break from school has not gone as expected.
Finals ended about two weeks ago. I wish that I could report that my post-finals life has been full of vigorous exercise, rejuvenating relaxation, and quiet progress on my tax articles – but that is not how things have worked out so far.
My life is highly structured during the semester: Between classes, research obligations and my externship, my schedule is packed from 6:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. most weekdays. Weekends are for long dog walks, brunch, and sightseeing in Washington D.C. (Oh, and more studying.)
My world shrunk during finals to my studio apartment and the Starbucks down the street. This time of intense focus was highly disorienting and I frequently struggled to recall what day of the week it was.
Finals season passed more quickly than I expected, but I’ve found the subsequent break from classes to be equally as stressful.
Sure, I somehow made it to the gym more times in the past 2 weeks than the past 2 months, but I find myself mortified by how much weight I have packed on this year. I also made a lot of progress on my tax articles, however it is surprisingly easy to get sucked into impromptu job hunting (and even worse, subreddits.) I end up leaving my Starbucks work sessions deflated and irrationally convinced of my dim prospects.
Downstairs at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington D.C.
Ron Mueck’s “Big Man” sculpture at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington D.C.
Ron Mueck’s “Big Man” sculpture at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington D.C.
The tech struggle
I am embarrassed to admit how much technology has contributed the strangeness of the past few weeks. After drowning my laptop with coffee during finals, I relied on Michael’s old Macbook and the Georgetown library computers. I also retired my glitchy phone and revived my 5-year-old backup smartphone (which is in remarkably pristine condition.)
The borrowed computers and backup phone have the awkwardness of wearing someone else’s clothing. Although I did not lose any files or software, the old operating systems introduce a distracting friction to tools that I rely heavily upon. It’s hard to stay focused on projects when you’re constantly messing up PC/Mac gestures, finding system-specific formatting inconsistencies, or experiencing perpetually crashing applications.
Thankfully my tech struggle was brief – I was able to get my laptop back from Big Box early, with a brand-new motherboard and keyboard. My backup phone also underwent several updates and overcame its early crashing problems.
The George Gordon Meade Memorial at the National Mall in Washington D.C.
The James Smithson crypt at the Smithsonian Castle in Washington D.C.
Two weeks left
I am back in class in under two weeks (!!) and I am determined to shake-off my winter break funk.
This will be second (and last) semester of my LL.M. program and there are so many things that I want to do while still in D.C. such as participating in LGBT bar events, school panels, conferences, and essay contests. These things will be way easier now that I have my dear computer back – let’s see if I can keep the coffee away from the keyboard long enough. ☕
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