Stress? I've Got You Penciled in Next Tuesday at 3

I have to be honest, I am more than a little nervous about this semester. I have decided it will be in my best interest to finish my program in two years, which means I have to take a minimum of 3 extra credits per term. It doesn't seem like much on paper, but it's essentially the difference between 40 hours of school work a week and 60 hours of school work a week. Needless to say, that's a whole heck of a lot of studying. This makes my palms sweat a little and my heart rate quicken slightly.

It isn't that last semester was especially stressful for me, but as I get older I get better at determining what kind of situations will potentially stress me out. Clearly, this semester is full of potential. So instead of sitting and waiting for the stress to roll on in, I have decided to take a proactive stance. Extremely proactive. I am making lists of everything. I am scheduling nearly every hour of every day. I hit a personal low the other day when I used Exel to make a weekly schedule that includes when I need to wake up, have free time and eat a snack. My date book has become my new best friend. I spend more time with that stupid thing than with my family and friends. I have lists of schedules; what classes to take at the gym and when, the order of rooms to clean in my apartment. This week I have even gone so far as to right out my daily meals so as to not waste any time making a useless trip to the grocery store.

Yes, I will admit that it borderlines on ridiculous, but it's a system and clearly what I need right now is a system. Or maybe a therapist, which actually is on my list of things to do (as per my program, not personal, requirements).

And if the stress gets to me and I finally crack you can find me in Big Sur looking at this:

Or perhaps in Paris with a lovely Frenchman named Jean Luc underneath the Eiffel Tower reading Jack Kerouac, sipping espresso and smoking cigarettes.