Stress. Ha. Nothing a little java in my veins won’t fix.

As a student with an 18 credit work load, plus being an editor at The Advocate, I don’t have much time anymore for relaxing or catching up on my reading. I must admit it’s a little hard to find time in between the paper and homework to get to my work study jobs, but my weekend job helps fill in the blanks when I feel like torturing myself some more.

I wonder about these kids who wait until the last minute to drop classes. Can’t handle the pressure? Today is the last chance to back out of any class, so if you wimp out and decide that math class you’re failing is just too much work, better move fast or you’ll get stuck with a fat F on your transcript.

People look at me all wide-eyed when they find out how much time I spend at school. Well, what do they think, I want to be a freshman for the rest of my life? I have to cram 18 to 20 credits into a quarter because I don’t want to be here forever. I’ve been a freshman for three years!

Really, I consider myself lucky to be here at all. I’ll be the first person in my family to get a degree. I’m putting myself through school, so when I finally graduate in 50 years I’ll have a huge pile of debt. Since I will be right out of college, I’ll be hired for an entry-level position and have to spend my seventies working up the ladder just to die in the mail room, since I’m sure that’s as far as I’ll get.

That’s why I’m here, right?

All seriousness aside, I’m having a good time at school. I practically live at MHCC. Tuesdays I’m here from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., unless there’s a lot to do at the paper, then I might be here until 10 p.m. Wednesdays are my 9 a.m. to, well, whenever I’m done day. Sometimes I leave at 10 p.m., and that’s early, but it has been as late as 12:30.

Time management was hard in the beginning, but since I haven’t been a full-time student since 1999, I expected that. I’ve gotten used to the schedule I set for myself and I’ve learned that saying “no” to people is good for me.

Overall, I’d say I’m dealing with stress pretty well. I even managed to quit smoking this quarter. I’ve cut candy out of my diet. But just try to pry the coffee out of my hands and I promise you’ll pull back a bloody stump.