Hey now, hey now...

So finals are finally finished and I actually have some time to breathe! Finals were mostly a disaster, but not for lack of studying. The funny thing is, everything is relative to each other. No matter how well, or poorly, any one of us did on a test, all that matters is that we did better than our peers. I could have flunked the test, but as long as everyone else flunked the test, then I passed.

It seems like a strange way to grade. It starts to lead to secret wishing on our part, hoping that our classmates - the same ones we support and are friends with - bombed the test. We say silent prayers for a memory lapse, for their demise. Is this what business school fosters? Feelings of whispers of ne'er-do-wells?

Of course, maybe this is how we're graded in life, too. It doesn't matter how successful - or unsuccessful - we are. All that matters is how we look compared to our coworkers. If they are shining stars, then our success pales in comparison. And vice versa. SoI guess this is life? It doesn't matter how fast we run, just as long as we're faster than the fastest person in the race.

Old Man Winter

Winter has officially arrived in North Carolina. The last couple of days have been dreary, cold and wet, and the cycle continues today.

I've actually been ready for winter for the past several weeks, so I'm excited that it's actually here. Around this time of year, there's a sort of anticipation, as the days become a little bit colder, the air starts to smell a little different, and you know that something is coming, something is chaning. There seems to be a bit of excitement with that anticipation. So now that the season has officially turned over to winter, there's as sense of harmony and resolution to that anticipation.

And now, of course, it's just pure excitement, as we wait for the holidays and start the chaotic crush of Christmas shopping. And then the renewed excitement (anticipation?) as the end of the year draws to a close and a new one awakens.

But then, it seems, the anticipation and excitement are over. And we start to bury ourselves and prepare for the long stretch of winter before us. The season has already changed, the holidays have already come, and there's nothing more to look forward to but the long, slow homecoming of spring.

The best medicine

When I first entered business school, I was told that "some days you'll feel on top of the world, and other days, you'll question how you ever got admitted." They were right, but I never thought that I could feel both on top of the world and in the dumps multiple times in the same day.

I know it's like this for many people, regardless of the kind of work they do or whether or not they are in school. It's frustrating to have so many mood swings so often during the day. The morning starts out great, and then an interview doesn't go the way you want. Then you get a "quiz" back (see previous posts about my feelings on quizzes) and you've done great. Then you remember a project is due in the next 48 hours. Then someone does something nice for you. Then you get another quiz back and it's not great. Then someone makes you laugh.

A constant roller-coaster ride. I guess there's not much to do, but just to try to keep everything in perspective. And maybe to laugh more. That seems to always help a little.