Preparing for the Final Push

Trafton B.

February 28, 2011 - 10:21 PM

It's usually around this same time each term that I finally catch a glimpse of the finish line. It's only two weeks until finals week, which also means its only three weeks until spring break (yahoo!), and I just finished writing out one last comprehensive "To Do" list for the term. I'm looking at the list right now and, well, like always the thoughts, "Dang! How the heck am I gonna pull this one off?" are racing through my head once more. Listen to this work summary.

Community Planning Workshop (PPPM 608) will be a little demanding. A couple of presentations and memos due for our client at the City of Eugene. That should be manageable though. Sustainable Systems Thinking (PPPM 399) will likely be more demanding actually. One week from tomorrow, we have a 10-15 page group paper AND an 8-10 page individual paper due on the same day. Not to mention we need to put together a presentation/skit for that same group project. Now, I've actually really enjoyed this class, but any teacher that assigns three major assignments due on the same day is generally not going to be my favorite person in the world. One student asked politely for an extension on the individual paper, and the professor's response, via email rather than in face-to-face discussion, mind you, was a condescending, "You've known about this since the first day of class. You could have been working on this all along." I don't know about you, but that just irks me the wrong way? It felt like we back in high school.

Intro to Non-Profits (PPPM 280) has another 8-10 page final paper due at the beginning of finals week. Not too excited about that one either, I guess that's what I get for taking a 200-level class during my senior year. My final class, Views on the Environment (GEOG 436), has...drum roll please... ANOTHER ESSAY! Just tack on one more 12-pager due at the end of finals week, what the heck. Well, I'm actually really excited for this one. I'm looking at the history of urban parks in America and how our views on the nature during the 19th Century led to the idea to incorporate nature in the city. Nerdy, right? I'm excited because I've always wanted to study urban parks and I haven't had the chance to go too in depth about them yet. This essay might be the perfect culmination of my degrees in environmental studies and city planning.

Of course, because I just don't know when to quit, I have one more revision on my Salem Sustainable City Year (SCY) report that has just been sitting on the back burner for a week or so. I'll probably get to that sometime this week. The only items I'm worried about are two job applications that I'd like to get in and they're both due on the Friday of finals week. They couldn't have planned that any worse. They seem like manageable tasks, but it's just one more ball to juggle, and I hope I don't drop it.

Yeah, it's going to be a rough three weeks, but I always take comfort in knowing exactly what needs to be done. I'm one of those people that writes "To Do" lists because we get satisfaction in crossing things off. Needless to say I'll be happy camper when this term is over, and Spring Break going to be all that much sweeter.

On similar note, the McAllister Crew seems to have finalized plans for Spring Break. Looks like the consensus was made for a beach house at Waldport, OR. Just a few blocks on from the beach, or should I say, the coast, and a short drive from Newport. I think we should be able to keep busy for a few days. Stay tuned for more on that one.

For now, I need to focus on putting a close on winter before setting my eyes on spring.