As people who visit my page often will know, I usually update the quotes every week or so (give or take a week), and the opinions every month or so. You will also have noticed that the last update was five and a half months ago. There's a reason for this long delay; a reason I'll discuss now
I'm writing this page as stream of consciousness, without any pre-planning. As I remember things I'm putting them in. I cannot be held responsible for your interpretations of what is written here, any more than I could be held responsible for Global Warming, as we're all doing our equal share of contributing to it.
For the first three weeks of January, the average high temperature was -20°C. This is very cold, in case you're... well... stupid. I took the need to wear two sweaters and a fifteen pound coat to stay warm as a cue that it might not be a bright idea to hang around at school to update my webpage, or do work, so I was coming home while it was warm.
Of course, it didn't help any that the account I was to use for one of my courses wasn't set up properly for those three weeks... I couldn't have done work in that class if I'd wanted to.
It was around this time that I started running low on energy. I was eating fine, getting lots of sleep, I just was having difficulty getting things done. This made it very difficult to catch up in my classes.
In fact, I ended up having to drop that one class, reducing me to a three course schedule at the drop date. I could have caught up, but that would have required ignoring my other classes, and there were midterms to consider.
Then, near the end of March, I spent an entire day watching T.V. I knew there were things to be done, and I wanted to do them, but I just couldn't get up to do them. At this point, I decided it was time to go see a doctor.
I made an appointment with someone my family doctor works with, since my doctor was out of town for the week, and spent $4:50 on parking for the hour. They took a bunch of blood to run tests for various diseases, and one for AIDS just for fun, and I didn't even have the energy to flirt with the cute blonde nurse who handled the needle.
The doctor gave me a note recommending I severely lower my courseload, and told me I'd have results by the end of the following week. At this point, I was a token presence in class only, not actually taking in anything that was being said. I actually had to work on staying awake.
At the time I went to the doctor's, my intention was to drop down to one class and focus on it alone. However, my dad suggested that I use the doctor's note as sway for my upcoming midterms, and then study very hard for the finals, and fight my way through it all.
So that is what I did. I made deals with my professors that I would write the midterms, but if I couldn't finish due to what I was going through I would be able to walk out with the midterm and have my mark be determined by averaging my other midterms and my final. I had to do this for one midterm, the second of two back to back, where I got to the final question and my brain collapsed.
Then finals happened. I actually did surprisingly well on them, considering how heavily I relied on my textbooks for the midterms and finals of my programming courses. Right now I don't even remember most of the term, just the key events that happened during it, which I've already typed out.
Exams ended around April 20. I'm not entirely sure how I was able to keep up with my column during the term, though I'm certain it helped that I'd written the first five installments before the term started.
I'm now just about up to full capacity, I'm sure in large part thanks to fighting through the end of the term. It seems the most likely cause of my problem was the sudden lack of things to do, and my brain deciding this was a good time to take a break from the stress and strain I'd been putting it through. The doctor couldn't find a medical reason for it, so what's left as possiblities are psychological causes.
The end result: four months of no updates, and very little accomplished, ending in two As and a B+, and one course not completed without academic penalty. Writing this has given me a terrible headache, but except for that I'm feeling much better, and I should be able to keep this webpage current once again.
Enormous thank yous to those who knew what I was going through and supported me... you all know who you are.