The titled movie came out in 2000 and since I was in high school at the time (get off my lawn, natch) I didn’t give it two seconds consideration as I was a grown up, dang it, and I would not be seeing a kids cartoon movie, dang it. Well, fast forward to 2015 and I’m wandering around my Netflix listings and stumble upon this never before seen title. I was probably bored, tired or just ready to zone out and tune out for a bit.
You can imagine my surprise when the movie grabbed me by the lapels and pulled me along on a wild and madcap adventure that soon cemented this Dreamworks film in the upper echelons of my favorites. I loved it. It also serves as a segue into my latest report from the college life. You see, I’ve been back in school since January 2014 and was starting to feel like I would never see the end of this plodding journey down the path of prose and pain. I decided to take a journey to see an advisor to find out just how long this gal darned experience was going to take. It took maybe ten minutes. Mind you, I was expecting a hero’s journey filled with challenges (What is your favorite color? Blue! No, Reaaaaggggg!) , tribulations, (It’s just a rabbit!) and a moment where I defeat some kind of Big Bad – like a gigantic textbook that taunts me with interchangeable quotes from Chaucer, Shakespeare or Milton while taking swings at me with a laser powered red pen. Well, it was nothing like that. A helpful professor talked me off the ledge and with ninja like reflexes had notecards with the semester ahead mapped with the classes I still needed to take. And as a bonus, I had a possible graduation date of Spring 2018!
You can imagine my relief. I didn’t need a paper bag to breath into anymore and the reflexive twitching was slowing. Mind you, that was going on all in my head. Still. So much panic. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the anthologies of stuff that’s been taught to me that I could relate to you, it is this – don’t panic. Take control of your destiny. Meet with advisors regularly. Don’t panic. Check your graduation progress report weekly. Fill out the forms for your subject area that track what classes you need to take so you can keep track of all the madness you’ve taken, are taking and will have to take. Don’t panic. Talk to your professors for advice during officer hours. Check. Recheck. Don’t panic. And always carry a towel.
I’ve also realized I cannot take 18 credit hours. I’m tapping out on one of my classes. I’m crying, “Uncle!”. Giving up. Folding. Walking away. Pouring one out for the homies. Dropping it like its hot. Getting out while the gettings good. Taking this job and shoving it. Whatever idiom, expression or statement works for you, I’m doing it with extreme prejudice. It’s a class I really wanted to take as my one fun class, but alas, it is not to be. I may give it a whirl in the upcoming semesters, but I need to buckle up, strap in and grind into the next gear with pedal to the metal.
Onwards. Ever onwards,