The Sac of Suds

I've overcome the whole issue about defining the word rhetoric by side-stepping the issue altogether. My new assignment is to give a ten minute presentation and 5 page paper on Literary History. Of course, this puts me right back at square one, but I think that I'm slowly getting a handle on the type of academic rigor that is required to do well. The professor has reassured me that the students who seem talkative and confident have some experience with graduate work before, so by extension, I should not feel so out of the loop or intimidated. Still, I can't help but feel a little nervous and a bit behind everyone else. More study on my part is needed, and as a consequence, my life is about to get more regimented.

Let there be no misunderstanding, the adjustment to grad. school has been, for me, inordinately difficult. And, dovetailing rather nicely with this difficult adjustment, my personal affairs have stumbled beyond my control into anarchy. Since it is fall, and I live in the northwest, there has been plenty of rain to complement my mood. Yet, the key to not letting it overwhelm me has been my trying to keep a sense of humor. I'll not explain how or why, but a particular scene from the movie My Cousin Vinny has helped me maintain some balance. I've found I can relieve some pressure by maintaining perspective. Thus life continues. Tonight, I immerse myself back into study, and tomorrow I buy some small things for my office.