Research and Service Project

So I’m working on my research paper and it’s surprisingly going by pretty fast. It was a good idea for my class to bring our research outlines and compare them with each other. Apparently I helped a classmate just by them reading how I outlined my paper. The outline also makes writing my research paper easier. It’s nice having a plan to follow. I’m glad the professor asked for a rough draft a week before the whole thing is due. I can easily cover four pages for the rough draft, and then another four for the final copy. It helps that I have a lot of sources and references for easy access to prove my point. Eventually I’ll hit a plateau like I do with all my writing assignments, but with two weeks to completely finish it, I’ll be good.

I skimmed through the instructions for the service learning project due a week after the research paper and all I have to say about it is, “Really?” I’m all for helping the community, but I’d rather do it on my own time and free will instead of being graded on doing so. It’s an English class, I expect to write essays and research papers, not so much going out around campus doing a good deed and writing about it. Sorry, just not my cup of tea. I’m also hoping that we can do it on the TCC campus, because there’s no way I can convince my mom to drive out to ODU. She’s old and cranky, I’m lucky she even shares her car with me.

Eh, I guess I’ll get all my answers in a week or so. In the meantime I’ll just think about what I can do for my service project and see if maybe a few of my classmates would like to join in.

After Spring Break

Well there’s not much to say about what’s been going on this week since it was Spring Break. I personally spent it seeing my boyfriend, working at the local Dairy Queen and finishing my annotated bibliography. Well I can’t really say it’s finished, I still need to write about two more sources. I’m actually finishing for the night and thought I might as well get this out of the way. I have a new hatred for annotated bibliographies though, hah. Okay it’s not the bibliography that I hate so much, but the spring fever that has come over me this break. I would do anything except that one assignment over the break. The only time I’d work on it is if I had NOTHING left to do. Seriously, I cleaned the whole house before finally sitting down to start on it. I don’t know, I think in the future I’m just going to choose generic topics again. Don’t get me wrong, writing about zombies and the horror genre has been a blast this year, but it makes procrastinating much harder. I could Google abortion or same-sex marriage and within minutes find what I need; I can easily find books relating to topics like that. But topics like the evolution of zombies and how their audience has changed? Or the evolution of the horror genre and if it’s changed can be considered perverse or just evolution? As much as I love these topics, they’re not a constant highlight. I actually have to dig deep to find sources that can help and there’s not many credible sources out there about it. Bah humbug, next time I have to do a research paper I’ll just pick a generic topic. It’ll bore the hell out of my professor because it won’t be anything he/she hasn’t seen already, but at least it’ll be easy. The end of this semester can’t come any sooner.

Huzzah, Something Accomplished!

Well this week went by pretty fast considering that half the class was missing. At least on Thursday I got to see an example of how my professor wants my research paper. I still need to grab one of those folders, so I don’t forget until the last minute. Over spring break, I plan on finishing the annotated bibliography. I still need to find a few more sources before I can even complete it, but I’m not too worried. Oddly I enjoy doing my work at the last minute. When I have a lot of time on my hands I just end up doing something else. It’s not until the weekend its due that I really get any work done. It’s probably not the best habit, but it’s been working well for me for years. The problem is that people cram all their work for all their classes then expect to finish it within a few hours. At least I’m realistic about the whole thing. I keep an eye on all the things that are due and I’m good at estimating how long it’s going to take me. That way I’m not freaking out at four in the morning because I just remembered I had something else due.

I’m ready to wrap up the semester personally. Once I get through the research paper and performing a speech for another class, it’s smooth sailing for me. Besides once I’m finished for the semester I can take another job and really gather some cash for a new car. That way I can stop bumming off my friends for a ride to school, hah. All my classes are going well; the only ones that really suck up my time after school are English and Public Speaking. Not really surprising since both require a lot of writing, but it’s not really a bother since I get out of school early.