Pick-Me-Up

September 23, 2009

This being the last semester before I graduate in December from Broome Community College with a degree in Communications, I have always considered myself a stereotypical college student. With my thought of a college student being broke, being tired, being overloaded with homework and eating the only things they can afford on their budget: Ramen Noodles.

This morning however, I felt even more like a college student. I rolled out of bed and raced around getting things together realizing that I was more tired than usual. This trait, I generally hear in other conversations as I pass by at BCC. The two stories I hear are that students are tired because of the late night studying or the late night-early morning partying. Of course, I did spend my night studying but I contributed my sleepiness to my three-year-old daughter whom is a firecracker. She is a ball of energy and generally never stops.

So my night, last night consisted of a game of tag where we run in a circle around an object (generally her rocking chair), fighting her to eat her dinner rather than a cookie, playing hide and go seek until we were blue in the face, and then fighting her to go to bed. Ahhh, the joys having to put a child to bed who consistently says she is not tired. I hate when 9 p.m. rolls in. I know that I will have to get her to the bathroom and wrestle her to use the potty and brush her teeth, tackle her to get her day-clothes off and her pajamas on, and then try to make her stay still while I tuck her in- hoping for the life of me that the games play just an hour before hand made her tired enough to fall right asleep, but knowing they probably didn’t because I categorize her as a night owl. Therefore I know that for next half-hour after getting her to bed, I will be called into her room to give her kiss, after kiss, after kiss, after kiss, for a sip of water, then she has to use the potty (again and again and again), then she wants to clean her room then, she can’t find her favorite sleeping toy, then… then… then… it feels like it never ends.

Thus, this morning I was just about as tired as a dead man. So I ruffled through my purse and book bag trying to accumulate enough change for a nice hot chocolate from McDonald’s hoping that by the time my first class ended and my creamy, delicious, caffeine-filled drink was completely consumed, that I would be nice and awake for the following classes.

Furthermore, as I exited my vehicle and head towards the building of my Communicating about Ideas class, I realized I was not the only one with a drink in tow. Everyone had something; an iced coffee or cappuccino from the Starbuck’s across the street, an unidentified mug filled with who-knows-what or a Dunkin Donuts Styrofoam cup with their “pick-me-up” drinks inside.

Thus, there I was… becoming a stereotypical college student again; this time, just with a drink.