Of Plans and Paradise

The second day of the semester culminates in exhaustion. Expected, perhaps, though, not discounting the sheer throughput of my todo list, likely for unexpected reasons. With full knowledge that my first class for the day started at 3:30 PM, I elected to wake up at 8:30 AM. To hit the gym with Mark at 9:00. Here’s hoping he keeps up with his New Year’s resolutions.

Having spent some time mournfully thinking about it in the shower, I’ve concluded that the issue with waking up early is less to do with the time of day and moreso with the constraints you’re usually waking up for. Sleeping in entails a flexible start to the day, which, critically, means you can get out of bed after a complete sleep cycle. Waking up early usually sacrifices this luxury in exchange for greater time in bed, but the extra minutes are nullified by getting up out of deep sleep. Maybe I’m rediscovering the wheel, but it certainly explains me feeling like crap right now.

Fortunately, otherwise, being back on campus is almost as refreshing as getting off of it a month ago. Time is back to constantly dilating between “everything is a blur” and “I can count microseconds”, and there is no shortage of work between TAing and trying to get business ventures moving. Fortunately, this semester I’ve got access to a drum kit practice room, so I can fill downtime with something as fulfilling as it is fun; before I left Maryland I finally deleted Reddit, my last vestige of social media, and have been somewhat enjoying the relative space it’s left mentally and habitually. But between all that, friends coming for the long weekend, and budding plans to be out and about during the semester, I’ve found myself looking forward to what’s to come just as much as I’ve been enjoying each passing moment.

Of Plans and Paradise was more a starting point for this post than a description. For some reason there’s something super catchy about two word alliteration, and I can’t get it out of my head. That or maybe I just stole from something I’ve forgotten about. But with plans laid, I’ve been left to spend some time ruminating on paradise, or at least, USC, which is the best I’ve got for now. And as scathing as that sounds, I’d absolutely be lying if I said I wasn’t having an unreal time here. Campus and college life has all sorts of crazy stuff offer, and the people I work with day-to-day are inspiringly motivated and constantly keeping things exciting. Plus, my friends are reassuringly close and close by.

A ridiculous amount of luck (and perhaps a modicum of hard work) got me here, and I’m consciously thankful for it every day. I’ll be damned if I’m not making the most of it.